Alyssa's OneShots
by R. O. Knight
Summary: This is a collection of one-shots and short stories related to the series 'Alyssa'.  Hope you guys enjoy them! :
1. Surprise

A Year and a Half Later…

Deeks strolled into the squad room area fresh from the showers. He had been in the gymnasium working out after a long workday and difficult case at NCIS. He was tired to say the least, but knew he had paperwork to finish before he could head home with Kensi.

A huge part of the liaison officers' exhaustion came from the fact that he believed everyone had forgotten the significance of this particular day—his birthday. It made him feel a little depressed to be honest, but not because his friends had seemingly forgotten—but because his girlfriend and adopted daughter had forgotten.

He entered the squad room and found it darker than it had been when he'd headed out to the gym just an hour before hand. He was taken off guard by the darkness of the room, and stood silent as he stared down at the other end of the room. "Wow, it's actually quite Spooky in here…in the dark." He said aloud.

_How long was I out there?_

"Guess they all went home." He said to himself, as he started towards the bullpen and his desk. He was about to sit down in his chair when he heard a noise coming from upstairs.

He looked up and listened intently, but heard nothing else for a long while. "Hey Guys! Callen, Sam! You there!" he called out. He waited for a minute or so quietly before trying again. "Eric, Nell!"

He waited for another long minute and then he heard another sound coming from upstairs. It was muffled though so he couldn't really tell what it was exactly.

He looked around the bullpen at the desks of his teammates, and noticed that their things were still there. Deeks found that to be very odd, and it made him feel a little uneasy. Then his eyes fell upon the keys to Kensi's SRX perched at the center of the top of her desk.

The sound of glass shattering startled Deeks, and he jumped out of his seat almost immediately. "Guys!" he called out again. Still nothing. Deeks reached down under his desk and brought out his service pistol. He primed it for use, and then started off towards the staircase. He didn't like the sick feeling he had growing in the pit of his stomach.

He took each step of the staircase to Ops slowly and carefully. He held his weapon in front of him ready to gun down any intruders who might have somehow infiltrated the mission.

He finally reached the top of the staircase, and stood just outside of the Ops Centre looking in. It was dark in there too. "I don't know who you people are, or how you got in here." Deeks called into the darkened Ops Centre. He started to move into the room very slowly. "I won't hesitate to shoot-on-sight though…especially if you've hurt my friends in anyway-"

Suddenly the lights flashed on and everyone jumped out up out of their hiding places yelling surprise at the startled liaison officer.

"SURPRISE!" Everyone yelled in unison.

Deeks looked around and saw that the whole room had been decorated in birthday theme décor. Everyone wore party hats and had noisemakers either in their hands or in their mouths. There were also colorful streamers hung from the ceiling of the Ops Centre.

"What the-" Deeks cried in shock at the sight of his friends. "Damn." He swore under his breath as he lowered his weapon to his side. "I thought you guys were…I mean, everything was so…" he struggled to get words out of his mouth right.

Kensi stepped forward, smiling at her lover, and relieved him of his weapon. She stood on her tiptoes and kissed him gently on the cheek. "Happy Birthday." She said softly against his cheek.

"I-I-I." Deeks stammered. "I thought…I thought everyone forgot, I mean no one said anything all day and now…this." He said, pointing around the room at each member of their team.

Kensi chuckled at her lover. "We didn't forget." She told him. "I've had this planned for 2 whole weeks." She explained. "You always seem to spoil every other surprise I try to spring on you, so this time I thought I'd try something drastic."

"Yeah, I'll say." Deeks remarked. "Okay, I admit it—you got me this time." He told her, as he stole a kiss.

The rest of the team steadily moved forward to wish the birthday boy a Happy Birthday. They all wore smiles on their faces as she shook his hand and spoke to him.

"Happy Birthday Deeks." Callen told the shaggy-haired man as he shook his hand, and patted him on the back. "A little heads up for next time though…people don't usually bring guns to parties." Callen told him.

"Right." Deeks chuckled. "I'll uh…I'll have to remember that one." Deeks said.

"Happy Birthday Shaggy." Sam said with a big smile. He shook Deeks' hand, and then pulled him into a hug. "Hope you like the cake. Kensi told me it was your favorite…chocolate on Scooby Snacks." Sam joked.

Deeks laughed at the muscular black man's joke. "That makes you Scooby right?" Deeks joked back. "Which would also mean you've already eaten all of the cake."

"Ha Ha Ha." Sam said as he rolled his eyes at the shaggy-haired man.

Eric and Nell were next in line to say Happy Birthday. "Happy Birthday Bro." Eric said as he and Deeks shared a manly handshake.

"Thanks man." Deeks replied to the tech specialist.

Then Nell stepped forward and wrapped her arms around the shaggy-haired man and hugged him tightly. "Happy Birthday Deeks." Nell said quietly.

"Thanks." Deeks replied.

Then came Alyssa. Nell had rushed out to pick the little girl up from school while Deeks was working out in the gym earlier. Kensi had asked her for the favor, explaining that she should be involved with her adopted father's party with the rest of the gang.

"Heya munchkin." Deeks said with a smile, as he scooped the little girl up into his arms. "Have a good day at school?" he asked her.

She nodded back. "Yes." She then went on to explain everything that her class had done that day, and Deeks listened intently to every word she said.

"Wow, sounds like you had a really fun day." Deeks said after the little girl had finished her story. "I didn't really have any fun today…well, except for right now." He said with a wink.

Then Alyssa handed her adopted father a folded up sheet of paper. "Happy Birthday." She said sweetly as she handed Deeks the sheet of paper.

Deeks took the sheet of paper and unfolded it in his free hand, and read it to himself. It was a progress report from Alyssa's kindergarten class. As Deeks read it to himself, he saw that Alyssa had gotten all high marks in everything for the first nine weeks of class. "Good job!" he told her quietly as he planted a gentle kiss against the side of her head. "That's my girl."

"You like your present?" She asked the shaggy-haired man, looking into his eyes as they spoke.

Deeks smiled at the little girl. "It just might be my favorite." He told her quietly.

Alyssa hugged Deeks around the neck. "I love you." She whispered to him.

"I love you too, munchkin." He whispered back lovingly against her ear.

Suddenly a familiar floated across the room nearly drowning out all of the others with every word spoken. "Mr. Deeks," Hetty said as she entered the Ops Centre. "Let me wish you a very Happy Birthday."

"Aww, thanks Hetty." Deeks blushed a little bit. "Glad you make it."

"As am I." Hetty said with a nod. "Before we commence with the cutting of the cake, let me first present my gift to you, Mr. Deeks." The tiny woman walked towards Deeks, and once she was just a couple of feet away she produced a small, leather wallet-shaped object.

"Your papers just came through a few hours ago, and your request has been granted." Hetty told the liaison officer with a smile. She handed him the object she held in her hand. "I give you this on behalf of myself and Director Vance. Congratulations Mr. Deeks, you're now officially one of us." She said with a smile.

Deeks flipped open the leather wallet-like object, and found that it was a brand new NCIS badge with his name and photo attached to it.

"Thanks Hetty." Deeks told the tiny woman with a nod of his head.

Everyone in the room cheered for their friend.

Deeks looked at Alyssa, and showed her his new NCIS badge. "Know what this means munchkin?" he asked her.

She shook her head at Deeks. "No. What does it mean?" she asked.

"This means I'll be home for dinner every night from now on." He told her quietly. Alyssa hugged him again. She knew that he was referring to how upset she had been the last time an L.A.P.D. assignment had kept him away from her for three weeks straight.

"Good." Alyssa said quietly as she hugged the shaggy-haired man.

Kensi smiled at her lover and their adopted daughter from a distance. Over the last year and a half they had both settled into their new parental roles exceptionally well, and they couldn't be happier with the way things were going even if they wanted too.

The party was finally coming to a close, and Deeks looked like he was really enjoying himself. The gifts he'd gotten from his friends were awesome in his mind, and he couldn't wait to get them home later.

Eric and Nell had gone in together and had gotten Deeks a brand new surfboard. Deeks said he couldn't wait to try it out on the waves later.

From Sam, Deeks got his very own juicer just like the one that Sam himself used in his own home. Deeks smiled and told the muscular black man thanks for the gift. Sam offered to give him lessons on how best to utilize the juicer, but Deeks claimed that it wasn't necessary.

Callen's gift was probably the one that surprised him the most, or at least he thought so at that particular moment. He unwrapped the heavy box, and opened it up. Deeks' jaw nearly hit the floor when he saw what was inside the box.

"Wow." Was all he could say at first.

"I've noticed how you only carry one gun with you, and you usually leave that gun here at the end of the day. In my opinion, you need to have a backup nearby at all times…just in case you know." Callen explained.

"Thanks." Deeks said, as he shook the team leader's hand once again.

"You're welcome." Callen replied with a grin.

A little later as they all pitched in to help clean up the trash left over from Deeks' surprise party, Deeks grabbed Kensi by the hand and pulled her aside so that they could talk in private for a minute.

"Something wrong?" Kensi asked, hiding a fiendish smile.

"Not really." Deeks said, as he pulled his girlfriend into a kiss. "Except, you're the only one who hasn't given me a present. I'm just curious as to why." He explained.

Kensi smiled up at Deeks. "That's because my gift to you isn't here yet." She told him.

"Why not?" Deeks asked, curiously.

Kensi's smile got bigger as she stood there with Deeks. "Because its not. You'll just have to wait for it." She told him.

"Wait?" For how long?" he demanded.

Kensi's smile got even bigger after that. She had been waiting for almost a week and a half to deliver this particular bit of news to the shaggy-haired man.

"Not long." She teased him.

"Kensi, how long?" he demanded even more firmly the second time.

Kensi feigned thoughtfulness for a brief moment, and then her smile widened even more. "Oh, about nine months." She told him with a grin, as she pulled away and headed back out to help with the clean up of the Ops Centre.

Deeks stood silently in thought for a moment—slightly confused my Kensi's statement.

"Nine months? Kensi, why Nine mon-" Suddenly realization dawned on him, and his eyes got real big. He darted back into the Ops Centre chasing after the beautiful brunette.

"Kensi, are you saying what I think you're saying?" he called across the room to his girlfriend.

Kensi looked across the room at her lover, and winked at him with a grin.

Deeks stood frozen in place staring off into space as he took in everything and processed it for a brief moment. Kensi wasn't kidding about what she'd said.

Then a small smile played across his own lips, and it was all he could do to contain his joy.

…THE END…

…Fear not my intrepid fan fiction readers, for I will soon be posting some more one-shots related to my series 'Alyssa', so just hang in there and bear with me. Hope you guys enjoyed reading this one as much as I enjoyed writing it. Thanks Again!


	2. An Answer

Six Months Later…

Deeks, Callen, and Sam stood just outside a big two-level complex just across the U.S./Mexican border. The whole complex was surrounded by a brick wall, and sealed up with a heavy wrought iron gate at the front end.

A brisk wind kicked blew past the men and kicked dry desert sand up into their faces. They all shook it off afterward, and the returned to their preparations for the coming assault.

Deeks looked around at the other men that had joined the NCIS team, as he readied his assault rifle for action. Theirs was a joint takedown of the drug cartel leader who had murdered 3 naval officers in L.A. within the space of about a week. The five other men with them were from a Marine Spec Ops unit.

"These guys are serious aren't they?" Deeks remarked as he eyed the heavy armaments the men were carrying. He would be lying if he said he wasn't a little bit nervous about this mission.

"What's the matter Deeks?" Sam teased the shaggy-haired man federal agent as he readied his own assault rifle. "Not scared are you?"

Deeks laughed, albeit somewhat nervously, at Sam's proposal that he was scared of a little intense firefight with a bunch of Mexican drug dealers. "Me? Scared?" Deeks countered. "Not in the least…maybe a little nervous, perhaps, but scared—never."

Sam chuckled. "If you say so."

The team's radio transmitters crackled to life, and a familiar voice was heard over the static. "Deeks, ignore Sam. You'll do just fine."

Deeks smiled at the sound of his girlfriend's voice in his ear. He pressed a finger to his earwig receiver. "You uh…you eavesdropping there, Babe?"

Back at the mission in L.A. Kensi, Eric, Nell, and Hetty were all standing by for tactical support in the Ops Centre. Eric and Nell were using a government satellite to monitor their friends out in the field.

"So what if I am?" she replied through her headset—an item which Eric provided for her use. "You gonna do something about it?"

Deeks' voice rumbled over the static of the long-range radio transmitters. "Not a thing." He replied. "Just good to know there's an angel watching my six." He added humorously.

Kensi smiled, and ran a hand over her protruding belly. "Any time."

Kensi, who was now six months into her pregnancy, had been forced to step down from field duty until after the baby was born. This was only a minor setback to the female federal agent, who insisted on making some sort of contribution to her team's work until she finally took off for maternity leave.

"Now, just stay focused on the mission, and everything will be okay." Kensi told her boyfriend over the radio.

"Can do." Deeks replied. "But you know…I wouldn't mind getting an answer to that question I asked you last night." Deeks said over the radio.

Eric, Nell, and Hetty looked at Kensi. Nell and Eric knew what Deeks was referring to, but Hetty was still in the dark and wondered for a little bit what question Deeks meant. There were at least a thousand different possibilities, but the older woman finally hit on it and it made her smile.

Outside the compound the leader of the Marine Spec Ops team signaled to Callen that they were ready to proceed. Callen picked up his assault rifle, and turned to Sam and Deeks.

Deeks still had a finger pressed to his earwig transmitter. "I mean, so I'll know just in case I don't make it out of-" he started to say over the radio.

"Just be safe, okay." Kensi interrupted her boyfriend rather abruptly. Deeks could hear the nervousness in Kensi's voice when she spoke.

"Can't promise anything, you know that." He told her in response.

There was a long silence from Kensi's end, and it caused a slight uneasiness to grow on both sides. "Just…make it through this mission in one piece, and I'll give you my answer." She said finally, in a quiet voice.

Deeks knew that she worried about him being so far away, and her not being able to be at his side as a good partner should be. So he decided to put on a brave face, for her, and give her what he knew she needed.

"I'll do my best, Sunshine." He said in a quiet voice.

"That's all I'm asking." She replied.

"You two finished?" Callen asked, as he held his assault rifle up in front of him.

"Yep." Deeks replied. "All set, and ready for action." He added.

"Good. Everybody load up." Callen yelled over all of the men that were there with him. He pointed to the single black SUV that set nearby. "Sam, Deeks. Inside." Callen said commandingly. "We'll breach the front gate. McGarver, you and your team will cover the rear. Once we're inside, you all know you're targets—take'em out."

After that Callen, Sam, and Deeks filed into the black SUV—Sam drove. They rolled towards the front gate, moving out of their hidden cover, and gradually began to pick up speed as they went.

Kensi, Nell, Eric, and Hetty watched the action from the Ops Centre via infrared satellite imaging. Kensi ran a hand over her belly once again, and prayed for the safety of her team and her boyfriend.

"He'll be fine, Ms. Blye." Hetty said quietly to the pregnant brunette.

Kensi nodded. "I hope you're right, Hetty." Kensi replied just as quietly.

The SUV crashed through the wrought iron gate, and as soon as it emerged on the other side the doors flew open and the three men inside lept out, guns at the ready. McGarver's team came in behind them, and together they all stormed the compound.

The next several minutes were some of the most intense minutes they had experienced in a while. "This sector's clear." Someone called out over the radio. It was probably one of McGarver's men.

"Ditto here." Came a second voice just a short while later.

"Sam, I see him! Cardoza's on the move—I'm in pursuit." Callen's voice rang out clear across the radio waves.

"Copy that, right behind you G." Sam replied to his team leader.

The team located in the Ops Centre back at the mission followed the images appearing on their viewing screen that indicated the positions of every member of their teammates as they moved through the compound.

Several minutes later, a desperate call for help buzzed through the airwaves. The call came from Colonel McGarver himself. "I got a man down…can't move him…pinned down by gunfire in central courtyard."

"Stay put Colonel, I'm headed your way." Came Deeks' voice soon afterward.

"Mr. Deeks, I would advise against taking any sort of action without adequate back-up." Hetty cautioned the younger man over her radio headset.

"Hetty's right." Nell chimed in. "I'm tracking Hawke and Duncan near your location. They can be with you in-" she started.

"Not enough time…you heard the Colonel." Deeks interrupted. "Kensi, what do you think?" Deeks asked, as he continued towards the Colonel's location.

Kensi was silent for a long moment, and didn't say anything.

At the compound, Deeks reached the center of the complex and stood just on the edge of the area leading out into the courtyard. Deeks took cover behind a low sectio of stone wall, and waited for an opening in the shower of lead that rained down from the balcony above.

"I can't get an opening!" Deeks yelled.

"Deeks stay put." A voice came to him over his earwig radio. "We're sending back-up your way." Hetty told him.

Deeks thought for a moment after hearing the Colonel say they were running out of time. "Wait, I've got an idea." He said over his radio back to his Ops manager.

Somehow this whole scenario seemed very familiar to the shaggy-haired man as he readied himself for what he would do next.

"Colonel, you're about to get a huge opening. I suggest you take it." Deeks called to the Colonel just several feet awasy.

"Roger that." The Colonel replied.

"Deeks?" Kensi's voice reached into Deeks' ear, and he could clearly hear the worry in it. "What are you planning?"

_Why is it always me?_ Deeks thought to himself, as he steadied himself.

"Kens, remember the hospital…after I was hit by that car." Deeks said over the radio. It only took a few seconds for Kensi to catch on to what her boyfriend was saying.

"Deeks, don't-" she tried desperately.

"Sorry Babe. Forgive me." Deeks replied.

Deeks counted to three, and then popped out from behind his place of cover. He managed to squeeze off two shots before taking 4 more in retaliation from the enemy thugs.

In just the few seconds it took for Deeks to go down, the Colonel popped out and expertly dropped all three of the gunmen perched up on the balcony.

Back at Ops, everyone was shocked by what they had heard over their radios. "Deeks." Eric was repeating the federal agents' name over his headset. "Deeks, come in."

"Deeks." Kensi tried. _Please, please be alive._

"Colonel McGarver." Hetty spoke into her headset. "Request status report on Agent Deeks."

There was a long silence that followed, and it made everyone involved feel real uneasy about the situation. Then they heard the familiar groan across the airwaves.

"Deeks?" came Kensi's worried voice.

Deeks rolled over onto one side, and then hoisted himself up to his knees. "I'm still here Sunshine." He groaned, as he pulled the four slugs from his bulletproof vest.

A sigh of relief rolled over the brunette's lips as she stood there in Ops. "Damnit Deeks." She swore under her breath. "Don't ever do that to me again." She told him.

Kensi removed her headset, handed it to Eric, and then exited from the Ops Centre. Eric, Nell, and Hetty watched in silence as the pregnant federal agent excused herself from the action.

"Kensi?" Deeks voice came over the radio again.

"Uh, she's not here anymore." Nell replied slowly. "I think you might be in some trouble when you get back." She added.

"I'll speak to her, Mr. Deeks." Hetty said. "Don't worry." With that, Hetty also exited the Ops Centre.

Hetty found the younger woman standing outside the mission struggling to re-compose herself, but without much success. The female federal agent had undergone such a drastic change in just the last year or so, and Hetty knew she still struggled with how overwhelming her emotions could be at times.

"He has good instincts." Hetty said, folding her hands behind her back as she stood at Kensi's side. "And a good heart." Hetty chanced a glance at the brunette.

"I know." Kensi said with a sniffle. "But, I still worry that-"

Hetty nodded. "You worry, because you're afraid of how things might turn out should you be forced to go on alone." Hetty deduced quietly. The tiny woman had always had a knack for reading people, and wasn't shy about using that talent whenever necessary.

"I'm that transparent hunh?" Kensi said with a nervous chuckle.

Hetty smiled a soft, warm smile at the female federal agent. "How long have we known each other, Ms. Blye?" Hetty asked.

Kensi thought for a moment, but really couldn't come up with an exact figure right off the bat. "I dunno…long enough?" she replied as she wiped some fresh tears from her eyes with the back of her hand.

Hetty nodded slightly. "Long enough indeed." She said with a smile. "The day I can't tell what's going on in your head, is the day I leave NCIS." She added.

Kensi gave a small chuckle at the tiny woman standing next to her.

"Tell me something, Ms. Blye. This unanswered question that Mr. Deeks mentioned earlier—you are hesitant, are you not?"

Kensi only nodded in response to the tiny woman's question.

"Why is that?" Hetty asked next. "I mean, you two obviously care for one another, and there are stacks of After-Action-Reports in my office that serve as a testament to how much he trusts you." Hetty pointed out. "Do you not trust him the same?"

Kensi looked up at the Ops manager with a look of disbelief. She couldn't believe that Hetty would doubt her feelings for Marty Deeks. It just wasn't something the pregnant brunette ever expected from Hetty.

"Hetty…there isn't anyone I care for or trust more, on this planet, than Marty Deeks." Kensi said quietly. "No one else gets me the way he does." She added. Hetty only smiled a little and gave a slight nod as she watched the woman recall all of the things she loved about her boyfriend.

"I'm a control freak, Hetty—like big time, and Deeks doesn't mind. It doesn't bother him the way it does other guys." Kensi explained in a quiet voice. "He laughs whenever I freak out over something, and somehow that smile just…sets everything right."

Hetty stood silently by and listened intently to every word the younger woman said.

"I'm not always as vocal as most people about my feelings—I rarely ever say, you know the 'three little words' you say when you're in a relationship, but he never doubts or questions how I feel about him." Kensi continued. "When I'm with Deeks I feel grounded and secure, like I can be myself without being judged or feeling ashamed." Kensi paused for a brief moment to ponder what she'd just told her Ops manager.

"I can't imagine my life without him in it, Hetty." Kensi admitted to the tiny woman. "I…I love him."

Hetty smiled up at the female federal agent knowingly. "Knowing all that makes you want to feel closer to the one you love, as opposed to further apart…don't you think?"

Kensi stood in silent thoughtfulness for a long moment absorbing and processing Hetty's words, before speaking again.

"I guess you're right." Kensi admitted. Suddenly things seemed so much clearer after her little chat with Hetty, and now she was absolutely certain of what she needed to do next.

"Come on." Hetty motioned towards the doorway behind them. "Let's go check on those boys, shall we?"

Kensi nodded, and then followed Hetty back into the mission. They made their way up the stairs and into the Ops Centre once more. The duo was greeted by sounds of victory coming from their team out in the field.

"Say again." Eric said over the radio. He was trying to clean up the spotty reception they were getting because of too many people on the radio at that moment.

"I repeat," came Callen's voice once again. "Cardoza's in custody. Mission accomplished." He told the team back at Ops.

Kensi picked up her headset from Eric, and repositioned it on top of her head. "Good work guys." She said into the headset, with a smile. "Is Deeks around-" she started.

"Still here Sunshine." Deeks' voice came through loud and clear, and there was a twinge of worry just on the edge of it. "Kens, I-"

"I'm over it." She told him without a second thought on the matter. "Its in the past now. Let's leave it there, okay?"

"So we're good then?" Deeks asked slowly.

"Yeah, we're good." She replied. _More than good actually._ "And Deeks, that other thing you were asking about earlier…my answer is yes." She said softly.

Deeks was silent for a long moment.

"That is…if the offer is still on the table, I mean." She added, as she waited for his response.

"You sure its what you want?" he asked. He wanted to be 100% sure that it was in fact what she really wanted.

"Absolutely." She replied sweetly.

There was a brief pause, and then Deeks' joyful cheers could heard across the airwaves, and everyone in the Ops Centre clapped and cheered as well. "Wooooo Hoooooo!" Deeks cheered loudly from the other end.

"Eric," Deeks said finally, after he'd stopped to catch his breath a little bit. "If you would do the honors please." Deeks said excitedly over the radio.

"Sure thing Bro." Eric replied. Eric nodded to Nell, who then reached down into her nearby purse and produced a small, red box. She handed the box to Eric who then handed it too Kensi.

"Deeks left it with us on the off chance something like this might happen." Nell explained.

Kensi opened the small, red box and inside was the prettiest little engagement she had ever seen in her life—mainly because this one was _hers_.

"Its perfect." She said into her headset. "I love it."

Outside the enemy's compound, Callen and Sam were loading a handcuffed Cardoza into the backseat of the black SUV. Callen looked across the top of the car at his partner.

"I don't get it." Callen said to Sam. "What did she say yes to?"

"I-" Sam started to speak, but was interrupted by a smiling Deeks.

"Tell all the ladies back in town, Boys." Deeks said excitedly to the two men. "This stud's officially off the market." He told them, as he pulled open the door opposite the side that Cardoza was sitting on. He slid inside the car, and closed the door with a smile.

"Hmph, We'll I'll be damned." Callen said, looking across the top of the car again at Sam.

Sam just smiled at the news. "Can't say I didn't see it coming, just didn't think it would be so soon." He remarked. "He better be good to her though." Sam added, loud enough for Deeks to hear.

"That's right." Callen agreed, just as loudly. "Or else we'll have to break his arms off."

"Hey!" Kensi's voice sounded in their ears over the radio. "That's my fiancé you're threatening you two. I'd be watching your own asses if I were you." She told them.

"Roger that." Sam said into his radio piece as he slipped behind the wheel of the black SUV.

"Yes ma'am." Callen added as he slid into the passenger's seat at the same time. Then within mere seconds Sam had them off and headed for home.

…The End…

…Stay Tuned folks, more shorts one the way _shortly_…


	3. Brian, Pt 1

**Author's Note: Okay, so I've decided to run this particular one-shot as a 'two-parter'. I hope you guys enjoy this latest chapter, and will hopefully check in for the second part later on. I'll give you guys three guesses, before you start reading, as to what this chapter is about.  
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**Thanks Again, and as always Happy Reading! **

The big day was finally upon them, and the arrival of their newest family member was inevitable. The months of planning for this day were paying off quiet nicely—all except for the father-to-be having second thoughts about his wife's decision to have a natural, in home delivery.

Kensi had decided early on that she wanted an in-home birth without any drugs or special medications for pain management, because it would allow her to be more in control over the birthing process. The next step was the decision to go with a water birth.

Deeks had gone along with his fiancées plan, at first, but now seeing her in pain was almost too much for him.

Kensi scrunched up her face as another intense contraction hit her. The sharp pain caused considerable discomfort for the mother-to-be, and by this time she was just ready for the whole ordeal to be over.

She had already been in labor for nearly six hours, and she was beginning to struggle with the sharp pains that periodically rocked her from the inside out.

"The worst is over." Nell said quietly, with a smile.

Kensi nodded, and slowly opened her eyes again.

"I really wish you'd just go to a hospital." Deeks said from behind his fiancée. "Or at least take the epidural thing." He added, as he gently stroked and massaged her back and shoulders.

"I told you," Kensi said as she tried to relax a little bit. "I need to be in control, and this is the best way." She explained. "No drugs, means I can feel everything, and I'll know if something's wrong."

"Still looks like torture to me?" Deeks countered quietly.

Kensi shook her head. "Its not torture…its natural." She corrected her fiancé.

"Whatever it's called, it makes no sense to me." He said with a semi-frustrated sigh. He hated to see the woman he loved in so much pain, and it made him wish that for once she wasn't such a control freak.

"I know this isn't easy for you," Kensi said quietly. "But it's not exactly a cake walk for me either." She added.

"I know." Deeks replied.

"And I could really use a little support—from you especially." Kensi said, with a tiny sniffle.

Deeks leaned forward, and planted a gentle kiss against the side of Kensi's head. "Why do you think I'm here?" he whispered into her ear.

Kensi tilted her head back, and accepted a second, more loving kiss from the shaggy-haired man she loved with all her heart. "Thanks." She said quietly.

Nell dipped her hand into the birthing pool, and swirled it gently around ever so slightly. The water felt warm to her, but just barely so. She removed her hand, carefully shook off the excess water, and then wiped it dry on a washcloth she kept draped over one shoulder.

"How does the water feel?" Nell asked, looking up at the brunette. "Still good?"

Kensi nodded. "Its perfect." Kensi said with a tiny smile.

"Okay, just checking." Nell said with a wink.

The room they had chosen to setup their water birthing station was in fact the large master bedroom of the brick house the couple had purchased together almost 2 years prior.

Kensi had said, early on, that the master bedroom she shared with her fiancé was where she felt the most comfortable, and therefore provided the perfect backdrop for an all-natural water birth—despite Deeks' early objections.

Nell had agreed whole-heartedly to be Kensi's ever-alert midwife, and to that end had spent the better part of the last 5 months preparing for this day. They did, however, have an actual doctor stopping by later after the actual birth to check up on the newborn, and make double sure it was strong and healthy.

"I'm gonna go grab some more towels, and the rest of my things from the kitchen." Nell said as she stood to her feet.

"Okay." Kensi said sweetly with a nod.

Nell exited the room a few seconds later, leaving the expectant couple alone. Kensi adjusted her bikini top for the umpteenth time since first going into labor earlier that morning. The top was actually the only piece of clothing she had on, and it kept shifting downward, exposing her swollen breasts more and more.

She claimed that the bikini top was there so that she would look at least somewhat civilized. In truth though, she was afraid of revealing her entire body to Deeks. In her mind, being pregnant made her appear somewhat less desirable with the added weight she had gained.

"Will you stop that already." Deeks snapped, with a slight chuckle.

"Stop what?" Kensi replied defensively.

"So what if the damn thing slides completely off?" he joked. "You did say this was 'all-natural', didn't you?"

Kensi huffed. "Trust me, without this top—you wouldn't want to be around me right now."

"I don't think so." Deeks replied.

"You're just saying that to make me fe-" she started, but another intense contraction interrupted her mid-sentence.

She whimpered quietly, and gripped the edges of the birthing pool tightly as she struggled through the sharp pain.

Deeks rubbed her back gently, and whispered next to her ear comforting and soothing things. "Breathe through it, just like we practiced." He said softly.

"I-I can't." she whimpered through gritted teeth. She looked so pathetic right then, but all Deeks could think about was getting her through it.

"You can," he told her quietly. "Now breathe. Good, just like that—in and out, in and out."

Kensi forced herself to do as Deeks instructed, and it actually worked. Within seconds the pain subsided, and Kensi allowed her head to loll back against Deeks.

Deeks rubbed her back a little more to ease the new tension. "For the record, I think you look beautiful no matter what." He whispered softly.

Another hour passed by painfully slow, and the big moment grew ever closer with each passing minute. Kensi was becoming more and more irritable as well—a result of the increasing intensity of her contractions.

She was leaning on one side now, trying her best to cope with the labor pains. "It hurts…Make it stop, please." She whimpered quietly.

Deeks rubbed her shoulders gently and did his best to remain calm for his fiancée. "Shhh, just breathe." He told her gently. "Breathe."

"I can't." she whimpered. "Aah, Just make it stop." It killed Deeks to see her in so much pain, but he forced himself to remember that it would all be over soon.

Nell pulled her hand from the water, and shook it off carefully. "You're almost there." She told Kensi as she wiped her hands dry once again.

Deeks kissed his fiancée on the cheek, and whispered something reassuring into her ear. "Hear that? You're almost there…just a little longer okay, and I promise it'll be over."

Kensi nodded quickly as the pain finally began to subside.

Nell began to make the final preparations for the actual delivery portion of the birthing process. She moved things around, and organized certain items by the order in which she would need them.

"Okay," Nell said several minutes later. "I just need to grab one thing, and then I think we'll be ready to have this baby." She informed the expectant parents as she walked out of the room.

The younger woman returned several minutes later, and with that the stage was set for the delivery. Another 2 or 3 minutes or so was spent with Nell coaching Deeks on what she needed from him, and then what she needed from Kensi.

Kensi settled herself into a comfortable birthing position just as another intense contraction hit her and then subsided several seconds later. Nell moved around to the front and settled in to receive the baby as soon as it was finally free from the womb.

Kensi let out a labored breath, and awaited Nell's signal to continue once again. "Almost there Kensi. I can see the head, just one more big push." Nell said softly, as she looked up, briefly, at the brunette.

Kensi shook her head at the younger woman. "I can't." she whimpered, tired and out of breath by this point. "I'm sorry, I just can't."

Deeks massaged her shoulders as he had been doing the whole time. "Kens, please." He whispered softly. "Just one more, and we'll have our baby." He added.

Kensi was silent for a moment, but then nodded reluctantly. "Okay," she breathed. "One more…just one more."

"Alright here we go." Nell said, repositioning herself. "On the next contraction."

The next powerful contraction came, and Kensi drew in a deep breath and then scrunched up her face as she summoned every last bit of strength she had in her and pushed.

"Almost there, almost there." Nell was saying as she watched the baby inch forward.

"Aaaagghhh!" Kensi grunted loudly, and then the baby finally slid out into Nell's waiting arms. Kensi panted heavily, as her heart rate tried to catch up with the rest of her.

"There!" Nell exclaimed as she caught and lifted the newborn out of the water. "You did it." She told the new mother. As soon as the baby's head cleared the surface of the water, it began to cry audibly.

The proud new parents were struck speechless at first by the sight of their newborn baby, and neither one could think of a single thing to say for several moments.

Deeks kissed Kensi on the side of the head at the sight of their newborn baby in Nell's arms. "You did it Babe." Deeks said proudly, as tiny little tears ran down his cheeks. Nell gently laid the crying newborn against Kensi's chest, and Kensi was an emotional train wreck at that point. There were tears of joy and relief, and also a little bit of laughter as well.

Nell then set to work on preparing to sever and separate the newborn from its umbilical cord.

Kensi couldn't help but touch the tiny newborn, and admire the great thing she had just achieved. Then her eyes fell upon the tiny telltale sign of the baby's gender.

"Deeks," Kensi breathed suddenly. "Look…do you see it?" she asked with a mesmerized sparkle lighting her eyes. She couldn't believe what she was seeing right at that moment.

Deeks nodded against her cheek. "I-I see it." He choked out finally.

"He's a boy." Kensi said with utter amazement as she gazed in awe upon her son. Kensi moved to support the tiny newborn with her free hand, as fresh tears streaked down her soft cheeks. "He's a boy Deeks…we have a boy."

Deeks kissed his fiancée again, and beamed ever so proudly at his precious son. "We do." He said in agreement.

Then a light came on in Kensi's head, and a loving smile spread across the proud mother's face as she looked her son over once more. "He needs a name." she said. "Brian…Martin…Deeks." She said each part separately and slowly as she ran a gentle hand over her son's fragile little body. She looked up at Deeks, looking for his approval of the name she'd chosen.

Deeks nodded his approval, and then smiled. "How do you like that sport? Named after a Beach Boy and your dear old Dad…how lucky are you my man?" Deeks said quietly.

Nell finished severing the umbilical cord, and then quietly whisked the baby away so that she could get him cleaned up and everything.

Kensi tilted her head back, and she and Deeks shared a passionate kiss with one another. When they finally broke for air, Kensi smiled up at her fiancé. "He's perfect." She told her lover.

Deeks smiled down at the beautiful brunette who had just finished giving birth to their son. "I'm proud of you, Kensi Blye." Deeks said softly. Then he stole another kiss from the woman he loved.

"I'm gonna go and give everyone the good news." Deeks said, as he stood to his feet. "I'll be back to check on you guys in a bit." He added.

Kensi smiled and nodded at the shaggy-haired man. "Okay." She watched as he turned and walked quickly out of the room.

Deeks entered the living room, and greeted the friends and family who had gathered to show their support. Everyone looked his way, as he entered the room, all with hopefulness in their eyes. "What's the word, Mr. Deeks?" Hetty asked from Deeks' favorite recliner that set back in a corner.

"How's my baby girl?" Kensi's mom asked from the sofa where she sat. "Is she alright?"

"Kensi's fine." Deeks told them. "She's tired, but doing well." He added.

"And the baby?" Sam asked. "Boy or Girl?"

Deeks took a deep breath, and then let it out. He looked towards the area where Sam and Kensi's mom both shared the sofa. He stilled his nerves, and then spoke.

"Congratulations Grandma," he said, as a big smile crossed his face. "It's a Boy." He added happily.

Kensi's mom shed tears of joy at the news, and the rest of the room erupted into cheers of happiness and joy all around. "You can go in and see her if you'd like." He told the older woman, with a tiny wink.

"Congratulations man." Callen said, patting the shaggy-haired man on the back.

"I still think one Deeks in the world is enough, but I guess I'm still happy for you guys." Sam said, and then shook the proud new papa's hand.

Kensi's Mom stuck her head into master bedroom several minutes later, just as Nell was helping Kensi, wrapped in a white cotton bathrobe, to the bed. Nell had already helped the new mom into the attached bathroom for a quick shower.

"Mom." Kensi said upon seeing her mother waiting by the bed.

Nell helped Kensi to set down on the edge of the bed, and then the younger woman dashed off to grab the new nightgown that Kensi had requested from the closet.

…TBC…


	4. Brian, Pt 2

Deeks brought Alyssa into the master bedroom after everyone else had left, and gone home for the evening. It was time to introduce the six-year-old to her new baby brother.

The doctor had already been in as well, and had given the newborn a clean bill of health. He even gave Kensi a quick once over as well before leaving. She was healthy too.

Kensi was lying in bed tucked underneath the covers; and ready for some well-deserved rest after the day she'd endured. She smiled though, when she saw her adopted daughter enter the room.

Kensi patted a spot on the bed, and motioned for the little girl to come and sit with her. Alyssa walked over, and pulled herself up onto the bed and sat next to Kensi.

"Hey." Kensi said softly. "Doing okay?"

Alyssa nodded. "You feeling better?" the little girl asked quietly, looking up at the older woman.

"Yeah. I'm a little sleepy, but I feel much better." Kensi said with a smile.

"You guys ready!" Deeks called quietly from the nearby bathroom. He had gone to dress the newborn baby in one of the tiny outfits they had laid out for him earlier that day.

"Ready." Kensi called back. Then she looked over at Alyssa, and smiled. "There's someone I want you to meet." Kensi told her.

Deeks exited the restroom, carrying the tiny newborn carefully in his arms, and walked towards the bed. "Here he comes." Deeks told them. He handed the sleeping baby to his mother.

Alyssa perked up immediately. She knew what this was. She had listened to the other adults talking about the new baby for the last couple of hours, but she herself hadn't actually seen it yet.

"Is that-?" Alyssa started to ask-her curiosity obviously peaked at that point. She craned her neck trying to catch even just a glimpse of the bundle in her adopted father's arms.

Kensi took the bundle from the shaggy-haired man, and cradled the newborn for a moment. "Alyssa, this is your baby brother." Kensi told the little girl. "Would you like to hold him?"

Alyssa nodded excitedly, and held her arms outstretched to accept the fragile little package.

"Hold your arms out like this." Kensi told her, showing her how she was holding him.

Alyssa did as instructed, and then watched as Kensi settled the baby into her arms. "Hey," Alyssa whispered softly to the newborn. "My name's Alyssa…I'm your sister."

She cradled the newborn in her arms just as she'd seen Kensi do only seconds before, and stared down in awe at the slumbering baby. She giggled softly when the baby boy appeared to yawn in her arms. "What's your name?"

Kensi leaned over towards Alyssa's ear, and whispered something into the little girl's ear. "His name is Brian." She told her daughter.

"Brian." Alyssa repeated the name quietly. "Welcome to our family, Brian." Alyssa whispered softly, as she tilted her head down and placed a gentle kiss against the baby's forehead.

Deeks and Kensi couldn't help but smile as they watched their adopted daughter cradling the tiny newborn, and cooing to him ever so softy. A single tear rolled down Kensi's cheek, and she then wrapped one arm around the little girl and gave her a gentle hug. "I think your gonna be a wonderful big sister. Thank you."

Alyssa nodded happily at her adopted mother. "I can help you with the baby." She told Kensi. Kensi nodded in return.

"You sure can sweetie." Kensi replied softly. "I'll need all the help I can get."

After a few more minutes Deeks took the baby, and laid him down to sleep in the cradle he had setup on one side of the big queen-size bed. Kensi marveled at how gentle and loving Deeks was with the baby, and it made her smile.

Deeks made his way back around the bed to where Alyssa sat next to her adopted mother. "Come on munchkin." He said as scooped her up into his arms. "Time for beddy-bye."

Alyssa wasn't very happy about that news. She wanted to stay with Kensi and the baby a little bit longer. "I wanna stay with the baby." She insisted quietly, knowing full well that she was not allowed to raise her voice—especially not in the house.

"The baby needs to rest tonight." Deeks said quietly as they reached the bedroom door. "You'll get plenty of time with the baby in the morning."

Alyssa thought for a moment, and then finally nodded okay. Deeks smiled and tousled her hair with his free hand. "That's my girl. Now say goodnight."

Alyssa looked up over Deeks' shoulder, and waved to Kensi and then in the direction of the cradle. "Goodnight!" she said quietly.

"Goodnight sweetie." Kensi replied sweetly.

After that Deeks and Alyssa exited the room, leaving Kensi to finally rest her head against the stack of pillows that her lover had erected behind her earlier.

The next morning came in the form of a cloudless, sunny beautiful day. It was still early, and Kensi was only really awake because her newborn son had roused her for a feeding. Other than that though she'd slept pretty well the previous night.

She cradled the tiny baby against her chest as he suckled on one of her breasts. Deeks stood in the doorway nearby, and it took Kensi a little bit before she actually realized he was standing there.

"How long have you been standing there?" she asked, looking up at the shaggy-haired man. He was wearing a pair of flannel pajama bottoms and a gray t-shirt.

Deeks shrugged. "Long enough that I've started wondering when it'll be my turn." He said playfully. Kensi rolled her eyes at him. It was good to see that a relationship and fatherhood hadn't changed the shaggy-haired man too much.

"Umm, how about…never." Kensi replied with a grin. "You never came to bed last night." She pointed out next. "I remember you going to tuck Alyssa into bed, and then after that…"

Deeks moved forward and sat down on the edge of the bed. "I took the sofa." He explained. "I figured you could use the extra bed space." He added. "I thought maybe the less work you had to do to get to and from the baby, the better."

Kensi smiled, and mouthed the words 'Thank you' to her lover.

"Anyway." Deeks said, changing the subject as he ran a hand through his hair. "Breakfast sound good?"

Kensi's eyes widened at the thought of breakfast. She realized that she hadn't really had much to eat since before going into labor. "Oh, yes." She said, licking her lips as she imagined all the different things she could eat for breakfast.

Deeks chuckled as he watched his fiancées facial expressions. "I see your attitude towards food hasn't changed."

"God, I'm so hungry." She groaned.

Deeks leaned forward and kissed her on the lips. "I thought you might be." He said with a grin. "Breakfast'll be ready in a jiffy." He told her. "Anything in particular sound good this morning?"

Kensi thought for a long moment, but the truth was she couldn't think of a single she _didn't_ want for breakfast. "Tell you what…surprise me." She said with a smile.

Deeks stood up. "Alright then-"

"Monty." Came a familiar female voice from the living room. She sounded somewhat agitated, and that wasn't something Alyssa usually got. She was normally calm and level-headed…almost to a fault at times.

"Guess we're all awake now." Deeks said with a quick shake of his head. "I'll go check on those two, and see about getting breakfast cooking." He told the brunette.

"Okay." Kensi replied softly, with a smile.

Deeks turned and exited the bedroom a few seconds later. "Hey, what's all the commotions in here!" Deeks called playfully into the living room, as he headed in that direction.

"Monty's chewing on my slipper." Alyssa told her adopted father. "Monty, let go." The little girl insisted.

"Monty." Deeks scolded the shaggy-haired dog.

Kensi could hear everything that was going on outside the bedroom, and she just couldn't help but laugh to herself. _So this is what it feels like to be normal._

A little while later Deeks and Alyssa re-entered the bedroom again. Deeks carried the breakfast tray, and Alyssa carried an empty glass and a pitcher of Orange juice. Alyssa still had on her favorite purple nightgown—minus her favorite slippers (which were now ruined thanks to Monty).

Kensi had already returned the baby to his cradle, and there the tiny newborn lay contentedly in silence.

Deeks setup the tray so that Kensi could eat her breakfast in bed, and then with a little help from their daughter, he carefully poured her a glass of fresh Orange juice.

Kensi inhaled deeply the pleasing aromas that wafted up from the plates and bowls on the tray before her. "Hmmm, it all smells soooo good." She said, as she picked up her fork and knife.

Deeks smiled at his fiancée as he took a step or two backward. "Bon Appetite, my love."

Alyssa made her way around the bed to stand looking down into the cradle at her baby brother. She cooed softly to him, and giggled when the baby boy wrapped a tiny hand around just one of her fingers.

...The End…

**Now, I think everyone knows what's coming next in this little mini-series…that's right, A DENSI wedding. It should be exciting…don't you guys think **

**Spoiler Alert! Three guesses as to who the flower girl in the wedding is?**


	5. Gravity

Six Months Later…

The wedding was only three days away, and Kensi was still fussing over her dress. To everyone else she looked absolutely stunning, but not so much to herself. No, she criticized her appearance every time she tried on a new dress. She would call herself names like troll, fatty, and other foul things that so inaccurately described her true appearance it had begun to work on Nell Jones' very last nerve.

Kensi stood in a fitting room at a dress shop in downtown Los Angeles with her Mother and Nell Jones—also in tow, were Alyssa and baby Brian. Kensi turned a few circles in the dress she had on, and studied her reflection in the mirror very carefully.

Kensi had spent the last two and a half months working out extra hard to try and burn off the last of her baby fat, but she still seemed unhappy with the results so far.

"Kensi, you look absolutely-" Nell started, mesmerized by how stunningly beautiful the taller brunette looked.

"Fat. I know." Kensi cut in disgustedly, with a shake of her head.

"Kensi no." Nell corrected her quickly. "That's not what I was going to say at all. I think you look beautiful." Nell tried her best not to sound irritated even though she was slightly so.

"She's right hon." Said Kensi's Mom, stepping up behind Nell. "You look gorgeous." She added sweetly.

"Thank you." Nell said, looking over her shoulder at her friend's mom. "I've been telling her that ever since we started this a week ago."

"I'm sorry you guys," Kensi said apologetically. "But I just don't see it." She told them with a somber tone to her voice. "I just don't feel…beautiful." She realized, as the words left her mouth, how shallow and unKensi-like they sounded. She could not help but feel that way though.

"Come on dear," Kensi's Mom said sweetly, offering her daughter a hand. "There's still one dress left for you to try on." She said with a hopeful smile.

"I really don't see the use at this point, Mom." Kensi said, shaking her head miserably.

Nell moved to answer her cell phone, which had just started to vibrate within her purse. She picked it up, and upon reading the screen found that she'd received a text message from the guys—who were supposed to be at the TUX shop for their final fittings before the wedding.

Kensi's Mom looked thoughtfully over her daughter for a moment before responding. "Kensi, I don't know what it is that's _really_ got you down," the older woman said softly. "I mean, you act as though you've been handed a death sentence…you're getting married in three days, to the man you love. You should be happy."

"Its complicated, Mom." Kensi tried, turning her face away from her mother.

"I see." Kensi's Mom said, with an understanding nod as the light bulb finally clicked on inside her head. "_That's_ what this is about, isn't?"

Kensi bit down on her lower lip, and tried not to let her mother see the fresh tears gathering in the corners of her eyes. "I just…You and Dad were…I'm just worried that…" she had the hardest time forming a complete, coherent sentence as she stood there with her Mother.

"Kensi, your Father was a good man—you know that." Her Mother told her. "And what happened between the two of us…it wasn't because we didn't love each other. That was never the reason for our separation—we both made mistakes, mistakes that we just couldn't recover from. And you shouldn't let our failures influence how you feel right now. Especially if it drives you away from someone you care about, and who cares about you."

"I…I know." Kensi said, as she wiped her eyes with the back of her hand.

"Kensi, I want you to go and try on that last dress." Her Mother told her, with a slight nudge in the direction of the changing rooms. "For once take your head out of the equation, and listen to your heart—just let yourself feel."

Kensi stepped into the changing room for the seventh time since her arrival at the dress shop a few hours before. She thinks about her Mother's words, and gives them a moment to really sink in as she stands in the center of the dressing room. She eventually lets her mind wander away from the shop, and soon finds herself immersed in a recent memory from a few weeks earlier.

_It's the end of a long day at work for Kensi and Deeks. Deeks had been ready to head home, but Kensi insisted they stay for a little extra sparring practice._

"_Kens." Deeks says, as he dodges another attempt by Kensi to knock him off his feet. He's nearly out of breath from all the sparring they've been doing, and he senses that something is bothering his girl. "We need to stop this." He tells her. _

"_No. Just a little longer." She pants breathlessly. "I'm not finished yet." She takes a step forward, and tries again to throw Deeks off balance._

_Deeks chuckles lightly as he easily dodges the advance. He now knows for sure that something's bothering her, because ordinarily she'd have had him pinned on the mat already._

"_Talk to me." He says, as he begins to circle with her once again._

"_About what? There's nothing to say." She counters, avoiding direct eye contact with him because she knows her eyes will be a dead giveaway to someone as perceptive as her fiancé. _

_Deeks chuckles again. "That's bullshit baby, and you know it." He tells her, with his usual lopsided grin. He can tell she's quite angry with him after that remark. "And by the way, you've been a little slow lately. Maybe you should try losing a little weight." He gives her a wink._

_Even though she should know he's only picking at her, she can't help but take the comment personally. The reason she does this is because it's actually the root of her current problem. She utters a low growl, and then charges without warning straight at the shaggy-haired man standing across from her._

_Deeks easily turns Kensi's momentum against her, and before she knows it she's pinned to the mat on her back. Deeks looms over her, and his triumphant smile soon fades to a look of deep concern for the woman that he loves. Kensi glares up at her lover._

"_Kens," he says her name softly hoping to calm her down a little bit. "I'm worried about you. The wedding's only a couple weeks away, and the way you're going right now—I'm worried you might not make it to the alter."_

_Kensi stares angrily up at Deeks from her position beneath him. "What's that supposed to mean? That another fat joke!" she spits out vehemently._

"_Fat joke? What are you talking about?" he asks, somewhat confused by her statement, as he searches her eyes._

"_Oh, like you don't know." She throws back as fresh tears of hurt begin to build in the corners of her eyes. "You've been teasing and making fun of me all day." She points out. "Just say it already—just say what you already mean!" she nearly screams at him._

_Deeks is still somewhat confused, but is starting to understand a little bit what she's talking about. "Sweetie, I-" he starts, but gets no further than that because Kensi suddenly wraps a leg around one of his and then pushes upward with both hands against his chest._

_She swings the two of them around expertly, and effectively lands Deeks on his back against the mat. "Whoa, did not see that coming." Deeks says, wincing a little bit from the shock of slamming into the mat._

"_Say it damnit!" Kensi cried as she loomed dangerously over him. "Tell me I'm fat, that I'm a troll, or a pig, or that I'm…I'm-" _

"_-As beautiful as you were the day I met you." He said softly. It all made sense to him now. She had been concerned about her weight, and how she would look at their wedding. He realized, as well, that his poking fun at her all day long had only exacerbated the problem._

_Tears were streaming down Kensi's face at this point, and she was silent as she stared down into her fiancés eyes. "You're…You're just saying that." She said, with a shake of her head._

"_No, sweetie. I'm not." He tells her as he cups a hand to her tear-moistened cheek. "I am so sorry. I never meant to hurt your feelings." He adds apologetically as he gently swipes at a few stray tears._

"_When Sam made that comment about you being able to squeeze into your wedding dress this morning, I thought it was cute and just went with it—I guess I wasn't thinking. I was just being stupid old me." _

"_So you don't think I'm…I'm fat?" she asks slowly and quietly. Moving her own hand down to the tiny little bump just above her abdomen. Deeks sees where her hand stops._

"_Absolutely not." He replies with a gentle smile. "I mean, so you've still got a little baby pudge left on you—that's actually normal, and you'll eventually work it all off." He explains. "And honestly, I think it's sexy as hell."_

_Now Kensi suddenly felt horrible for the way she'd just treated her fiancé. Why had she been so stupid, and taken it so personally when she should have known all along that he was just messing with her—like he always did. _

_Kensi leans down and kisses Deeks fully on the lips after a moment or two of brief silence between them. "I'm sorry I overreacted." She says quietly. "I guess I just doubted you—I shouldn't have. I guess I was scared that your feelings for me had changed, and-"_

_Deeks cuts her off with a kiss full on the lips. "Baby, if my feelings for you have changed in anyway…then this means nothing." He tells her softly as he gently presses himself up against her._

_She shudders at the contact, and realizes that he's hard. This knowledge coupled with the sudden contact between their two bodies starts an intense heat burning inside the space between her thighs._

_Deeks grins at Kensi's reaction to his gestures. "Must've hit the right button." He says, quite amused._

_Kensi glares down at him again. "Damnit Deeks," she swears angrily. "We-we can't do this here—the rules, Hetty's rules, they forbid this kind of interaction." She points out, though she struggles to make herself believe her own words as she says them. _

"_Well, we can wait till we get home." He suggests, eyeing her mischievously. _

"_No," she gasped, as she felt Deeks applying a little more pressure to her sensitive area. "I can't…I can't wait. Damnit Deeks." She swears again, with a slight whimper._

"_Now you see my dilemma." He tells her, after another kiss. They had not had sex of any kind since right before baby Brian was born, and so that made this a long time coming._

"_Ah screw it." She says finally as she tugs off her t-shirt. "To hell with the rules…I need this." She attacks his lips ferociously after tossing her t-shirt aside._

"_Come on, do it." She tells him between kisses. "Fuck me." She insists with an air of desperation._

_Deeks chuckles at Kensi's mad ravings as she claws at his workout clothes, trying to relieve him of their restraints. He's never actually heard her use the 'F' word before either, and he finds it to be quite amusing._

"_Kens," he says softly. She stops and looks at him expectantly. Suddenly, though, he uses her former move against her, and soon has her pinned on her back once again. Then he leans down and kisses her on the lips once more. "What if, instead, I just make love to you." He offers sweetly._

_Kensi stares up at her lover with a slight twinkle in her eyes. "Only if you promise you'll never stop loving me." She replies softly._

_He kisses her again. "Can you promise the same?" He asks in response._

_She kisses him again, as she wraps her arms around his neck. "I'll never let go." She tells him softly._

"_Then neither will I." he replies softly and sweetly against her luscious lips._

Why did she always have to doubt and second-guess her fiancés feelings for her? If he were going to leave her, he probably would have done it by now. So what was she so scared of anyway?

That night at the mission inside the gymnasium should have swept away any and all doubts she had or would have down the road, but still she found herself walking down that road again—well no more.

Kensi wiped away a single tear that had rolled down her cheek, and then began to slip into the last dress. She stopped after she'd pulled it on, and studied herself in the room's single, little mirror.

She didn't have to go out and look at herself in the big mirror out in the viewing room—she knew from what she saw then that she had found it. Everything after that just seemed to fall into place in her head as she stood there with tears streaming down her face.

"I'm…getting married." She choked out quietly.

A few minutes later she walked into the viewing room wearing the gown that she had finally chosen as her own. She looked at her family sitting there waiting patiently (her Mom, Nell, Alyssa, and little baby Brian nestled safely in his carrier next to his big sister).

"I found it." She told them, her voice thick with emotion as she spoke. "This is the one." she said as she stopped and turned a full 360 in front of her Mother and Nell.

"Oh, that's wonderful Honey." Her Mother said, as she hugged her daughter lightly, so as not to mess up the beautiful wedding gown that she was wearing.

"Now that that's out of the way," Nell said, as she stood up from where she sat. "Maybe we can finally make some headway on the dresses for the bridesmaids and the _flower girl_."

Now, Alyssa has been anxiously waiting to see the new dress she will be wearing in the wedding, as promised by Kensi. However, she has gotten a little bored and a little tired of watching Kensi try on dress after dress, day after day without picking a single one. It does get old after a while to be honest.

"Finally." Alyssa said from where she sat next to baby Brian's carrier. "Its about time." She added, as she folded her arms over her chest.

Everyone laughed at the little girl.

"I know you're tired of watching_ me_, sweetie." Kensi said sympathetically. "But just think, now we get to go pick out your dress." She told her adopted daughter.

…**The End…**

**Author's Note: Okay, I know that I promised the next chapter I posted would be the wedding, but then about halfway through writing the wedding—this popped into my head. After I quickly wrote this down, and re-read over it I realized that it would be a real nice piece to have come between the last chapter and the upcoming wedding chapter. So, here it goes. Hope you guys enjoy it!**

**Also, in regards to the wedding chapter-This past Friday night I took my younger sister, who came to visit while on break from college, to see Titanic in 3-D, and it inspired a huge chunk of my writing so as a warning to everyone, you guys will probably notice a bunch of references to the film as well as some other things related to Jack Dawson and Rose DeWitt Bukater. So be on the lookout for that. Thanks Again you guys for continually checking and reading my stories.**

**F.Y.I.—The film, Titanic, is a great film and I would recommend it to anyone who hasn't seen it yet. That said, however, I don't think the whole 3-D thing really fits this particular film, and I know that saying that will probably cause some of you guys to hate and say mean, hurtful things to me—but, I'm just being honest and that's who I am. **

**Thanks Again, and Happy Reading! **


	6. Rose's Theme, Part One

**Author's Note: Okay, so I really wrestled with this one for a while, but I eventually came to a decision. Some of you, I know, will certainly hate me for this, but I have decided to do this particular chapter in three separate parts. The reason for this is to gradually build up some steam before reaching that big moment where Kensi and Deeks finally say 'I Do'. Trust me guys, you'll all thank me when its over….**

**Don't forget to review/comment, and let me know what you guys think of part one.**

**Enjoy, and as always HAPPY READING! **

It was just after three in the afternoon, and the sun was beginning to sit low in the clear blue sky above. In the background the Pacific Ocean waves crashed rhythmically against the sandy shore.

It was supposed to be a beach-side wedding that most brides-to-be would die for, but fate unfortunately had other plans for our happy couple.

The preacher stood silently holding his bible beneath a large white-lace covered arch, and looked on as guests steadily filled the large seating area just ahead of him. He wiped a slight bead of sweat from his brow, and continued to wait patiently for the ceremony to officially begin.

Already seated near the front of the audience were the most familiar faces. The vast rogues gallery extended almost from one end of the area all the way to the other, and included a silver-haired ex-marine, a Goth lab tech dressed in a solid black dress, a computer genius, a former Mossad Officer, and a very flirtatious 'Very' special agent who was clearly annoying his partner with his constant comparisons of the realities around him to scenes from his most beloved film franchises. Also in this group were an aging Scotsman and his lovable M.E.'s assistant.

On the other side of the long, arrow aisle was the other set of familiar faces. The group here was headed by an ex-Navy Seal, and included a former New York cop, an HPD cop and his cousin, and a young know-it-all medical examiner.

In the very first pew, seated at the very head of the crowd were the big three: Ops Manager Henrietta Lange, NCIS Director Leon Vance, and the blushing bride's teary-eyed Mother who sat holding her grandson in her arms as she waited. Assistant Director Owen Granger would arrive to join them a little later on.

"I think you went a little over the top, Hetty." Director Vance whispered, as he leaned in close to the tiny woman seated next to him. He was referring, of course, to the fact that Hetty was responsible for the abundantly gorgeous venue currently hosting the wedding ceremony they were attending.

Hetty chuckled lightly at the Director's observation. "I don't think so, Leon." She replied with a smile. "These are, after all, two of our agency's finest."

The Director let out a small sigh. "I suppose you're right." He said with a nod. "Hmm, guess I should've had you plan my wedding." He added, with a small grin and a wink at the Ops Manager.

"Perhaps you should have." Hetty agreed.

Just off to one side of the preacher, Marty Deeks waited anxiously with his clean-cut groomsman and his best man. His mind paced back and forth thinking only of the blushing beauty he would soon see marching gracefully towards him, and in the midst of these thoughts he felt his heart begin to race faster and faster within his chest.

"How do you think Hetty pulled all this off?" Eric mused aloud. Eric Beal was Deeks' best man and guardian of the ring he would soon bestow upon his beloved's finger.

Nearby, G. Callen shrugged in response to the best mans' question. "Dunno. Probably pulled a few strings…twisted a few arms—who knows?" he offered humorously.

"Does it really matter?" Deeks cut in. "I'm just glad that Kensi gets to have her dream wedding." He added, as he quickly glanced down at his wristwatch.

Eric only nodded in response.

A few minutes later Assistant Director Owen Granger appeared strolling quickly down the long, narrow aisle. He reached the front of the area, and scooted down to his seat on the other side of Kensi's Mother.

"Owen," Hetty greeted the Assistant Director of NCIS upon seeing him scoot by her. "So nice of you to finally join us."

"Sorry," he apologized, with a tiny grin. "I popped in to check on the blushing bride on my way up." He explained in a quiet voice as he took his seat.

"And?" Vance asked, arching an eyebrow at the other man. "Are they ready?"

"Yeah, should be coming out shortly." Granger replied in a low voice. Then he noticed Kensi's Mother, and proceeded to sweetly offer her his hand. "Ma'am, may I say you're daughter looks simply breathtaking today…she must get it from you." He said sweetly. Kensi's Mother blushed at Granger's complement.

"Why thank you Mr. Granger." She replied softly. "Its just a shame that her Father can't be here for this." She added, with a sigh. Owen Granger smiled softly at the woman sitting next to him.

"I know he would be very proud." Granger offered kindly.

A slight breeze blew through the area, and ruffled Deeks' hair ever so gently just as a soft, pleasing melody began to fill the air. The music that had begun to play was _Rose's Theme_ from the _Titanic_ soundtrack. Kensi had chosen to use it instead of the traditional wedding music, and Deeks hadn't argued with her on the subject.

A smile played at the corners of Deeks' lips as he quickly straightened his solid white dress coat. The show was finally beginning, and not a moment too soon either. "Look alive boys," Deeks said over his shoulder. "The party's officially started." He added.

In the audience everyone waited to see the blushing bride come waltzing out of the lavish beach house at the back of the staging area. At the front of the area, the preacher slipped a single finger in between the pages of his bible, which he'd already pre-marked with a thin, little bookmark.

"You know this breaks rule number 12 to the max." Special Agent DiNozzo whispered to his partner as they sat waiting in the audience. Ziva only rolled her eyes at the man sitting next to her.

Gibbs leaned back a little bit, and whispered for Ziva's attention. "Psst, Ziva."

Ziva leaned back a little, and looked towards her silver-haired boss. "What?" she whispered back.

Gibbs motioned with one hand for the former Mossad Officer to _Gibbs-slap_ her partner on the back of the head. He mouthed the words _Hit him_ along with the hand gestures, and then nodded when Ziva winked and nodded back her understanding of his directions.

"Ow." Tony groaned through gritted teeth in a low voice. He glared angrily at his partner, who sat grinning from ear to ear at her devilish deed.

"What the hell?" Tony demanded through still-gritted teeth.

"Don't be such a baby, Tony." She teased her partner. "Besides, I was only passing along a message from Gibbs."

Tony reluctantly settled back into his seat, and folded his arms across his chest stubbornly. "Message received Boss." He grunted quietly.

A few minutes passed, and nothing seemed to be happening. A few people shifted uncomfortably in their seats. Several offers craned their necks for a better view of what was going on or not going on. Deeks also shifted nervously in his spot. He prayed that Kensi hadn't gotten cold feet at the last minute, and that she was just merely having some last second wardrobe difficulties.

"Wonder what's taking so long?" Eric wondered aloud.

"Shush." Deeks muttered under his breath. "She's coming alright—just give her time." Deeks said, trying to convince both himself and his friends.

The music continued to play evenly as everyone waited for the bride to finally appear at the end of the aisle. Instead, little Alyssa suddenly appeared barreling down the aisle towards her adopted father. The look on the little girls face made Deeks' insides begin to churn rather uneasily.

He could see that one shoulder of her gown was slightly torn away from the rest of the fabric, and she appeared to have tears in her eyes. "They took her!" she cried as she reached her adopted father's arms.

Deeks stooped low, and pulled his daughter into his arms. "Slow down there munchkin, what's the rush." Alyssa was out of breath, and struggled for a second or two to form a single coherent sentence.

"They're hurting her." She said finally, her eyes full of sadness as she looked up at her adopted father.

"Who's hurting who-" he started to say, a little bit of worry edging into his voice.

"Deeks, what's going on?" Callen started to ask, as he moved towards the groom and his daughter.

Suddenly a loud bang echoed out over the audience. The sound seemed to be emanating from the beach house, and resembled that of a gunshot to everyone in the know.

"Kensi." Deeks breathed instantly. He stood up straight, and stared back towards the beach house. His heart immediately began to sink in his chest, and his gut began to churn all the more wildly. "Stay with Eric." Deeks told his daughter as he began to move forward.

Then another shot rang out, and this time everyone in the audience immediately jumped to their feet in confusion.

Deeks broke into a sprint at the sound of the second gunshot, and yelled his beloved's name as he went. "Kensi!"

This was not the way that he had planned for things to happen on his and Kensi's wedding day.


	7. Rose's Theme, Part Two

**Author's Note: Here's part two everyone, and let me go ahead and tell you guys that there is a chance, now, that this could actually turn into a 'Four-Parter' instead of a 'Three-Parter'.**

**Just a reminder to keep those reviews and comments a-coming guys. You all know how much I enjoy reading your feedback. I really, really hope that you guys enjoy reading this chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it. **

Deeks was unarmed when he entered the beach house moments later. The interior of the building looked as though a hurricane had swept through it. Deeks surveyed the damages done to their reception in dismay. The decorations appeared to have been slashed, and all the tables where the caterer had set up the buffet for after the wedding had been overturned. Food, punch, and cake scraps were scattered all around the room.

Near the center of the room by one of the overturned tables Deeks noticed one of Kensi's shoes lying on its side. His breathing was heavy as panic began to take hold of his thoughts. He scooped up the shoe which had a slash mark cut into one side, and dared to let his mind wander through the endlessly possibilities regarding the fate of the shoe's owner. He immediately wished he hadn't.

Callen entered the building seconds later just as a door opened leading from a side room nearby. Sam Hanna staggered out clutching at his ribs with his right hand, and had to stop and lean against the doorframe for support. "Sam!" Callen ran to his partner's side as quickly as his feet could manage.

"I'm…alright." Sam wheezed through gritted teeth. "Its just…a flesh wound." The muscular black man staggered forward once more with his free hand outstretched towards his partner.

Callen stepped close, and allowed his friend to lean against for a moment as he searched for a place to set his partner down.

"Quick! Get her in the van! Let's go!" a deep voice was heard yelling from the area out front of the beach house. Deeks' ear perked up immediately upon hearing the unfamiliar voices, and he wasted no time in pursuing the source through the next room, and then out the front doors. "Kensi!"

Callen found a chair and righted it up for his partner. He carefully lowered the big man down into the chair, and did not let go until he was sure his partner could hold himself up on his own.

"G." Sam wheezed in a low voice. He pointed towards the room that he'd just come out of only seconds before. "…Nell…she's hurt G—in there."

"Okay." Callen said with an understanding nod. "Stay here, alright, and I'll go check on her." Callen promised, as he stood to head in the direction that his partner had indicated.

Outside the building Deeks broke through the front doors, and found four masked men loading an unconscious Kensi into the back of a black van. Two of the men were already inside the van. One was sitting in the driver's seat behind the wheel, and the other man was just climbing into the front passenger's seat.

A third man was climbing into the back of the van with the unconscious bride lying limp in his arms.

"Kensi! Let her go, you bastards!" Deeks yelled as he threw himself at the masked men. He managed to snag the fourth man, who had begun to scramble into the back of the van after his comrades, by the collar of his black turtleneck.

"Go! Go! Get us out of here!" the third man was screaming to the driver. Within just seconds the van jerked to a start, and smoke blew up everywhere as it peeled away at top speed.

Deeks coughed and sputtered, inhaling the smoke and fumes, as he struggled with the fourth masked man. "No!" he choked angrily as the van pulled away quickly. "N-No…Come back! Kensi!"

The masked man tried to stagger the shaggy-haired man, but his attempt was rather unsuccessful as Deeks expertly sidestepped it with ease. Then Deeks employed a technique that Sam had taught him quite a while back—the leg sweep maneuver.

Deeks fell forward as the masked man landed hard on his back against the cement below. His fist connected hard with the masked man's jaw, effectively rendering him unconscious.

Inside the beach house as Callen headed into the other room Gibbs, Tony, McGee, Ziva, Jimmy, and Ducky all entered through the back doors together.

Gibbs surveyed the area, and then began to issue orders to each member of his team. "McGee, see to the guests. Make sure everyone stays calm, and in their seats for the time being."

"On it boss." McGee said with a nod. Then he turned and bolted back out into the yard area once more.

"Ducky, there." Gibbs pointed towards Sam, and Ducky immediately understood what his long-time friend was thinking. At that same moment Callen re-emerged from the other room carrying Nell in his arms.

"Gibbs! Dr. Mallard!" Callen cried out when he saw the older NCIS Agent standing just across the way. "She's hurt...bad." he told them as he moved in their direction.

Ducky moved towards the unconscious figure in Callen's arm almost immediately upon seeing her. "Mr. Palmer I'm gonna need you to tend to Mr. Hanna for me." Ducky told his assistant.

"Right Doctor." Jimmy replied rather quickly.

"DiNozzo! David! You two armed?" Gibbs asked, rounding on the two agents.

"Yes sir." They replied in unison as they both produced small side arms that they had been keeping concealed in case of an emergency. The two NCIS agents quickly unsheathed and primed their weapons for immediate use.

"Clear the other rooms, Go!" Gibbs commanded in a harsh voice.

Tony and Ziva nodded, and then quickly headed off to carry out their assigned task.

Callen gently laid Nell's unconscious form out on the floor not too far from where Sam was sitting still clutching at his aching ribs. Ducky set to work quickly assessing the situation and within seconds began spouting off medical terms that alluded to the young woman's current condition.

"Will she be okay?" Callen asked, looking up at the aging Scotsman.

"She needs medical attention." Ducky told the younger man. "_Proper_ medical attention. There's only so much I can do for her here." He added without looking away from his patient.

Callen dug his cell phone up from the depths of his pants pocket, and quickly dialed 911. "Yeah this is Special Agent Callen with NCIS…I need a bus for two." He said into the receiver as he glanced over at his partner whom Jimmy Palmer was still working with.

Gibbs trotted through the open front doors, and found Deeks slumped to his knees hovering slightly over the unconscious masked man.

"They got away." Deeks turned to face the older NCIS Agent standing just outside the doorway to the beach house. "They took Kensi with them." He added. His chest heaved with so many emotions building inside all at once.

Two hours passed, and Kensi finally began to stir from her involuntary slumber. She blinked several times as her eyes adjusted to the low light level of the room she was currently being held in.

"Look. She's waking." A deep, husky voice said from the shadows at the edge of the room.

"Bout time." A second voice quipped from behind her.

The room seemed to be spinning, and Kensi had to close her eyes against the fierce pounding of her aching head. "Ooohhh." She moaned audibly. "Wh-where am I?" she mumbled.

Kensi was strapped to a wooden chair in the center of a dimly lit room somewhere. Her hands were bound behind her back, and her feet were tied to the legs of the chair. A little bit of dried blood stained the area just below her nose.

"Sorry about your head, Kens." A third voice said close to her face. It was a softer voice than the first two she'd head only seconds before, and it seemed somewhat familiar. "I brought you some aspirin and a glass of water." He said softly.

"Ah, come on will ya—just cut the bullshit already." The first voice floated to her ears once again. She could not get over how harsh sounding that particular voice was.

"Hey, knock it off!" the third voice threw back at his companion in a slightly louder voice. "Harland said I could do this my way, remember!" he reminded both of his companions.

Kensi could feel her voice trembling as she spoke, but she did not dare to open her eyes to face the voice in front of her—at least not yet. She prayed with everything inside of herself that she was wrong.

"You-You're voice…it sounds…familiar." She said quietly with her eyes still closed tightly.

The man chuckled lightly displaying his approval of her brilliant memory. "That's my girl," he replied softly. "I knew you'd remember." He whispered as he planted a gentle kiss against her tender cheek.

"Noooo." Kensi moaned as she realized that she'd been right all along about the mysterious voice looming ever so close to her face. Tears streaked down over her cheeks as she finally forced herself to open her eyes and confront the man who owned the familiar voice. "Why?" she whimpered quietly as she looked into the familiar eyes that stared lovingly back into hers. "Why Jack?"

Everyone was gathered at the mission by this point, and all parties were pitching in to help find the missing Bride. Deeks sat in the bullpen watching over a slumbering Alyssa while Kensi's Mother rocked baby Brian in her arms.

Alyssa had had to be taken to the hospital earlier with Sam and Nell after Eric noticed how she was favoring the arm with the torn dress sleeve. A couple of ex-rays later it was discovered that her arm was broken, and needed to be reset and put into a cast. Afterward the doctor had prescribed a 3-day supply of mild pain meds to help the little girl cope with the uncomfortable sensations associated with having her arm in a cast.

Sam sat nearby still nursing his sore ribs, and Nell was being held overnight at the hospital for observation following the diagnosis of a bad concussion, which she had suffered during the attack at the beach house.

As Deeks looked over his slumbering daughter he couldn't help but wonder if his wife-to-be was okay—Whether or not she was safe wherever she was at that moment.

Hetty, Gibbs, Director Vance, Callen, and Eric all stood in the Ops Centre staring up at the big viewing screen.

In the space of just two hours the crime scene had been thoroughly processed, and they had had no reservations about putting their best forensic specialist to work analyzing each and every piece of evidence.

Now, an older, slightly balding and overweight man stared out at the NCIS crew from within the viewing screen. The man was dressed in a black business suit, and held a stern expression on his face.

"I assure you the CIA is in no way responsible for the events that you have just described." The man said sternly. "And I have to say I'm a little hurt that you of all people, Henrietta, would think otherwise."

Hetty stared calmly at the viewing screen. "Well Daniel under the circumstances I don't see as I have much of a choice." Hetty replied.

"I see." The man responded as he shifted a little bit in his seat. "Well I assure you I have no knowledge of any rogue agents operating in the L.A. area."

"You sure about that?" Gibbs challenged boldly. "Cause our suspect…used to work for _your _agency." He explained very calmly.

The man on the viewing screen straightened up a little bit more at Gibbs implied accusation. "And how could you possibly know that?" the man demanded in a slightly uneasy voice.

Gibbs held up a manila file folder, which he gripped firmly in one hand. "Once we identified him…we pulled his file." Gibbs explained in a rather matter-of-factly manner.

"And?" the slightly balding man on the viewing screen replied not quite convinced. "What does his file tell you exactly?"

"Not a lot." Director Vance chimed in from Gibbs' right side. "Which in itself actually tells quite the story." He added, shifting on the spot a little bit.

Gibbs nodded in agreement with his own Director, and then looked back up at the man on the viewing screen. "See, over half of this file has been redacted." Gibbs pointed out, waving the manila file folder in the man's face once again. "There's only one agency I can think of, that would blackout that much information." He added somewhat accusingly.

...TBC…

**Reader's Challenge: I want to challenge my readers to really think about what they know so far about these last two chapters. Think you guys can deduce the reasoning behind Kensi's abduction?**


	8. Rose's Theme, Part Three

Kensi was almost at a complete loss for words as she looked over her former lover from all those years ago. She hadn't seen Jack since he broke off their engagement, and left to never be seen or heard from again—until now.

"Why?" she heard herself ask again as she shifted against her restrictive bonds. She knew the war and his deployment had changed him all those years ago, but she had never stopped to consider the possibility that he would or could ever be involved in something like this.

"To save you." He replied softly. His smile never wavered from its position across his face, and the way his eyes seemed to drink in her appearance projected a certain creepiness to the female federal agent.

"To save me?" she stuttered in disbelief. "Save me from what, Jack?" Her voice rose slightly, and held a harsh note to it as she spoke. "I'm supposed to be getting married today. What could I possibly need rescuing from!"

"Told you she wouldn't understand." The second voice from before said from his spot near the shadows that lined the far wall. "She's too far gone man."

"No!" Jack threw back angrily. "She's not, alright. She's not one of them _yet_—you'll see. It's not too late." Jack said as he turned his eyes back to the beautiful brunette that still sat tied to the wooden chair.

Kensi's mind was racing in all directions as she slowly processed everything her captors said. To be honest, it was all so confusing and smelled distinctively like something out of a conspiracy theorists diary.

"Not one of _Who_?" Kensi asked, trying to understand the conversation her captors were having. "Jack, what are they talking about?" she was almost pleading with the man.

A sympathetic look crossed Jacks' face, and he proceeded to take one of Kensi's hands into his own. "I'm sorry. I know that none of this probably makes any sense to you right now, Kens. But I just need you to trust me okay." Jack spoke softly as he caressed the smooth skin of Kensi's hand and fingers.

"All of this is for your own good, sweetheart—Believe me. Its all because _I love you_." Jack added sincerely.

Kensi's stomach churned inside her body, and her heart began to beat twice as fast as it had been just prior to hearing those three little words roll off of her ex-lover's lips. She shook her head frantically trying to forget that he'd even said them in the first place.

"No, no. Jack you can't." she told him with a horrified expression painted over her features. "You can't, not after all these years. I moved on, and you-" she stopped short to regroup her thoughts and piece the words together properly before continuing on.

"Wh-Why not, Kens?" Jack said as he gently kissed the knuckles of the hand he held in his own. "We were once engaged, you and I—we loved each other." He pointed out with a slight air of desperation in his voice.

"Yeah, Jack…_once_. Past tense. As in a long time ago—ancient history." She replied quickly. "There is no more _us_. There hasn't been for a long time." She was not intentionally trying to break his heart or his spirit, but she felt like he deserved to hear the truth. "You left. I moved on. I have a family now…I'm happy."

Jack shook his head, and looked away from her for a few seconds as he processed her words. "Don't-Don't do this. Kensi, please?" Jack's voice was thick with emotion as he spoke to her then. "They're not real, okay. Not like me."

Kensi's heart was twisting into knots upon knots as their conversation continued forward. And a part of her wished like nothing else that her ex-lover would just stop talking all together.

"Kensi, sweetheart. I need you to trust me, please. I need you to open your eyes, for once, and see all the lies for what they truly are—_Lies._" Jack continued, as he moved his hands to cup her delicate cheeks. "You have to. If you don't they'll-"

"Alright, that's it." The first voice said as he stepped fully out of the shadows. "I'm tired of talking—she obviously needs a little _help_ in discerning truth from the pack of lies she's been forced to swallow day after day, week after week surrounded by all those brainwashed meat puppets."

The man rolled up his sleeves as he moved over to a nearby wooden table. Laid out across the surface of the table were several different tools and instruments that would scare the ever living out of any person regardless of their age.

He picked up what appeared to be a tiny syringe and a small, clear vial filled with some unknown liquid. As he stood prepping the syringe with its new payload, Jack jumped up from the spot where he'd been sitting crouched low to the floor.

"Sig, No." Jack protested as he reached for the syringe. "We had an agreement, remember! Harland said-" Jack tried, his voice rising slowly with each word he spoke.

The man, now identified as _Sig_, pulled away from Jack's grasp and shoved him firmly backwards. "Get away!" Sig bellowed sternly. "In case you haven't noticed Harland's not here. He's been taken prisoner by the enemy."

Kensi was trying to follow the conversation, but it wasn't easy given her current circumstances. From what she could gather though, it sounded as though the three men in the room with her were possibly part of some kind of cult or something.

Kensi watched in horror as Sig moved to her side with the syringe held securely between his fingers. He grabbed Kensi by the back of the head to steady her. Then he produced an alcohol swab from his pants pocket, and proceeded to swab an area on the side of Kensi's neck right over the area where the jugular vein would be located.

"Wait. Jack please? Kensi tried, but never once looked away from the syringe that Sig held over her. "If you _did_ still love me you wouldn't do this." She said hopefully.

"I do love you. That's why it has to be this way. You'll be free soon Kensi…just don't struggle. Resisting only makes it worse." Jack said as he turned and walked away from the sight.

Kensi felt herself flinch as the tip of the sharp needle pierced the tender flesh of her neck. "This'll help clear your mind—let you see the truth for a change." Sig said quietly as he injected the clear liquid from the syringe into the vein in Kensi's neck.

It wasn't too long before she began to feel the affects of whatever drug she had been injected with. Sig stepped away, and discreetly disposed of the used syringe. Jack stooped low in front of Kensi once more, and in his eyes she saw the unmistakable twinge of sadness as well as longing.

Within seconds her eyelids became very heavy, and she found it increasingly difficult to hold her head up for any great length of time. "Wha-What did you…do to m-me?" Kensi mumbled through a drug-induced haze. "I-I feel…I feel so…so strange."

Jack brushed several stray strands of hair away from the beautiful brunette's face, and tried to comfort her. "sshhhhh." He whispered softly. "It's alright. It's alright. Just let go…let it all go."

"I…I hate you…J-Jack." Kensi mumbled with as much venom as she could muster.

"No, no. You don't hate me—you love me." Jack told her softly. "That man…that _Detective_ has deceived you. He's turned you against me."

"That…man…is going to k…kick your ass…when he finds…y-you." Kensi muttered as the ever-looming blackness finally began to close in around her conscious mind.

Kensi's mind drifted away from her current surroundings, and instead sought refuge in her memories of her family. She thought about Deeks, about her son Brian, and her daughter Alyssa. She also thought about her friends, Hetty, Callen, Sam, Nell, Eric…

3:00 in the morning, and Deeks and Alyssa were curled up on opposite ends of the tiny sofa that set in the bullpen area of the mission. They had elected to stay overnight with the rest of the team so as to be nearby in case something came up about Kensi.

All of the lights had been turned off except the one tiny, lamplight that streamed out from Hetty's office. The one solitary light kept the rest of the lobby area from being pitch black.

Deeks woke with a start at the sound of his daughter's soft whimpering. He looked around the room blinking his eyes several times until everything finally came into focus. When he realized where the sound was coming from, he turned and leaned down close to Alyssa's slumbering form.

"Hey, princess." He whispered softly.

He gently placed his hand against her back and applied only the slightest amount of pressure against her frame. Alyssa opened her eyes, and looked around until she finally noticed Deeks' face held just a few inches away from her own.

"You all right?" he asked softly. "Your arm hurting again?"

Alyssa shook her head as she sat up. She rubbed her eyes a little bit and yawned openly. "Yes." she replied quietly with a sad note audibly present within her voice. She held her injured limb close to her body as if to protect it from further harm.

Gentle understanding creased the shaggy-haired mans' features as he looked upon his daughter. "Come here." He said quietly, motioning for his daughter to scoot over closer to him.

Deeks dug the small bottle of children's Motrin from his pants pocket, popped it open, and then plucked one small tablet from within its cylindrical confines.

Alyssa scooted over, and settled against her adopted father's side. Deeks handed her the chewable tablet, and within just a few seconds she had completely chewed it up and swallowed it. Deeks then picked up the blanket he'd thrown over the back of the sofa just a few hours before, and unfolded it before settling it around him and his daughter.

Alyssa nestled close to her father and rested her head against his stomach. "Do you think they'll find Mommy?" Alyssa asked without warning.

Deeks wrapped an arm around the little girl, and hugged her gently. "Uncle Callen and Uncle Sam are the best at what they do…if anyone can find her, it'll be them." Deeks said reassuringly as he ran a hand through his daughter's hair.

Tony strolled into the boat shed's interrogation room with Callen close behind him. Sam was already in the room, and finally back to his former self. In the 'bad' chair sat their prisoner/suspect who had finally awoken from his unconscious slumber after having been knocked out by Deeks a few hours earlier.

"Ah, Sleeping Beauty is awake at last." Tony said, clapping the man hard on the shoulder as he moved around to his side of the table. "Mind if I call you Beauty? Nah, you don't mind if I call you Beauty."

"Do you begin all your interrogations like this?" Callen asked with a small grin. He was clearly amused by Tony's approach to the matter. "Act annoying and give suspects cruel and degrading nicknames?"

"Yeah, its kinda my thing." Tony replied with a grin. "It's who I am, what I do—it's the _DiNozzo_ way." he added smugly.

"Its actually pathetic, if you ask me." Sam remarked from his spot in the far corner of the room. "But please, feel free to _carry on_. When it backfires we'll show you the _proper_ way to interrogate a suspect."

"Come on Sam." Callen playfully scolded his partner. "Let's give Mr. D.C. a chance. See what he's got."

"Funny. You two should go into comedy—like Laurel and Hardy or Abbott and Costello. I wouldn't pay to see the show, personally, but that's just me." Tony quipped humorously as he pulled his chair out and sat down.

Sam gave a shake of his head at his partner.

On the other side of the table sat the suspect. He was silent and stone-faced against his captors, and sat motionless through the entire course of their childish bantering between one another.

"Harland West." Tony said the man's name and then watched for a response. He got nothing from the suspect. "I get it. You're the strong, silent type—right?"

Still nothing.

"Alright then-right to the point I guess." Tony tried.

Elsewhere, Kensi's captors had moved her slumbering form from the chair she was tied too, to a more comfortable spot on the floor in a far corner of the room. They did take some precautions, though, and handcuffed one of her wrists to a lead pipe that ran down the length of the wall.

Then morning came at last, and Kensi began to stir against the pillow that her head now rested upon. The moment she tried to open her eyes she became instantly aware of a severe throbbing sensation that threatened to split her head in two. It was all she could do not to scream out in pain.

She tried once again to open her eyes, but found that even the dim light of the room she was being held in was far too much against the searing pain she felt in her head.

_Oh God. What's wrong with me? My head feels like a thousand hammers are pounding against it right now. Deeks, where are you?_

Jack heard Kensi's soft whimpering, and rose from his spot nearby to check on her. He had slept leaning against the hard surface of the wall just a few feet from where Kensi lay fast asleep for most of the night.

By now Kensi realized she could move more freely than before, and had decided to try and pull herself up from the floor. She only got as far as propping herself up in an upright position against the wall. That's when she realized she was handcuffed to something.

"Kensi." Jack's voice was soft and gentle as he spoke over her. "How do you feel?" he asked as he watched her set herself up against the wall.

"Like shit." She groaned through gritted teeth. She tried to sound angry to cover up the immense amount of pain that she was in. "What the hell…did you do to me?" she hissed against the throbbing in her head.

Jack reached out a hand and moved a strand of hair out of Kensi's face. She pulled away slightly at the feel of his touch as his hand brushed by the side of her head.

"Don't…touch me." Kensi growled in a low voice.

"It's okay." He told her gently. "It hurts like hell I know, but it's only for a while." He explained quietly. "Then you'll be free—free from the hold of those goddamn slavers." He swore angrily through misty eyes.

"Do you even hear yourself?" Kensi asked disgustedly. She was finally allowing herself to look out at her surroundings through half-open eyes. "Jack, listen to me—I don't know what kind of garbage these psychos have been feeding you, but this isn't you. I _knew_ you." Her voice was shaky between ragged breaths.

"You still do, Kensi. Just not the way you used to—not since they reprogrammed you like a damn robot." Jack replied rather quickly.

To Kensi he sounded like a raving lunatic the way he spoke of reprogramming, robots, mind control, and slaves. Jack though obviously believed every word of what he was saying. It was actually kind of pathetic.


	9. Rose's Theme, Part Four

**Author's Note: I apologize, both for this chapter taking so long and for it being so short; but I assure you guys the fifth and final chapter of this particular story arc will wrap everything up. Believe me, its gonna be explosive and will really blow your minds by how emotionally satisfying it will be. :) Thanks again, and Happy Reading!**

It was almost 10:30 in the morning, and the door to the interrogation room finally opened. Callen, Sam, and Tony all exited the room at the same time looking rather forlorn, due mostly to the fact that they had spent the better part of the previous night trying to get their suspect to talk.

Gibbs nodded at the three men as they walked by him. "Tell me something, DiNozzo." Gibbs demanded in a quiet voice.

"He's getting antsy." Tony remarked, looking back at the viewing monitor mounted overhead.

Gibbs nodded in understanding, but did not actually look back at his senior field agent. Instead, he chose to look to the ex-Mossad agent standing just to his right.

"So what now?" Callen asked. He hadn't really meant to say it out loud, but it came out anyway.

Ziva understood what he silver-haired boss was saying to her without him actually having to say a single word. She had learned, as had everyone else, during her time at NCIS how to read Gibbs' looks.

"Now…we break him." She said quietly, in response to Callen's earlier question. Gibbs nodded his approval after that.

"Ziva. Come with me." Gibbs said firmly, as he started towards the interrogation room.

Callen and Sam exchanged nervous glances with one another, and then looked to Tony for answers to the questions that they already knew they probably shouldn't ask.

Back in the Ops Centre, Hetty, Granger, Eric, and Vance were all watching the feed coming in from the boatshed's security system. They all exchanged uneasy glances with one another there too, all except for Director Vance.

Vance stood firm, and waited until the others were silent once again. Then he shot both Granger and Hetty the same look that told them both all they needed to know.

Then Vance stepped forward, laying a hand against Eric's shoulder, and bent down so that he could speak directly into the tech specialists' ear. When he spoke to the younger man, he did so in a low, almost whispered tone of voice.

"Eric Beale," Vance said quietly. "What I'm about to say to you is a _direct order_, and does not leave this room. Is that understood?" Eric only nodded in response.

"Good." Vance replied quietly. "The security feed from your boatshed—kill it. Then erase it. Now."

Eric nodded, and then his fingers began to dance over the keys on his keyboard with lightning speed. Within just mere moments of Vance's order every monitor in the room, including the giant plasma screen at the center of the room, all went dark simultaneously.

Callen and Sam stood in the boatshed just staring at the door to the interrogation room. The partners looked rather perplexed as they both contemplated the possibilities of what might be going on in that room that they could not see.

Tony noticed the expressions painted across the other agents' faces, and let out a small chuckle.

Callen looked at Tony then. "What?"

"Nothing." Tony said with a shake of his head.

"You know something we don't?" Callen asked, pushing the subject further. He couldn't stand not knowing. It was something that went against everything he believed in.

"Just…don't over think it." Tony said lightly. "And believe me—its better that way." He added, and then flashed a knowing grin at the two L.A. agents.

He knew Gibbs probably better than anyone else in both offices, well except for Vance and Ducky of course and Abby always ran a close second to himself, and he knew that when Gibbs wanted something…most of the time, he got it.

Deeks slipped behind the wheel of his Chevy Malibu, and backed out of Julia Feldman's driveway. He had decided earlier that it would probably be best to drop Alyssa off with her brother and Kensi's Mother for a while, so that he could focus more attention on helping his teammates find Kensi.

First, however, he felt as though he could really use a cup of coffee, from Starbucks of course, and maybe a little fresh air to clear his head.

As he pulled away from the house a strange, black van parked just two houses down happened to catch his eye as he passed by it. He even managed to throw a little wave to the van's two occupants.

As he drove down the highway his thoughts drifted to his missing fiancée, and then he soon realized why he had denied himself the time to _really_ think about Kensi's abduction. The pain that it caused him was blindingly intense and threatened to tear his beating heart into millions of jagged little pieces all in a single, fiery explosion.

In the interrogation room back at the boatshed, Gibbs and Ziva were still sitting on Harland West. Gibbs was glaring hard at the man trying to decide whether or not to believe the words he'd just heard from his mouth only moments before.

Gibbs looked across the table at Ziva and nodded finally. "Call it in." He told her.

Deeks answered his cell phone several minutes later as he rode down the highway. "Deeks." He listened carefully to the information that Ziva was relaying to him. "You sure?" he asked, his pulse now racing as he coaxed his Chevy Malibu into a quick u-turn.

Back at the Ops Centre Hetty took a small step towards the giant plasma screen. "There a problem, Mr. Deeks?" Hetty asked, sensing the panic rising in her agents' voice.

"Yeah. I just left that address." He responded quickly.

"You what!" Hetty said in uncertain surprise.

"Its Kensi's mom's house." Deeks replied quickly.

"Deeks, this could be a trap." Eric pointed out over his headset.

"Probably." The shaggy haired agent replied in agreement. "I may need backup." He added afterward.

"Its on the way, Mr. Deeks." Hetty replied. "Just sit tight, and don't do anything until-"

"Sorry Hetty," Deeks replied apologetically. "This is my family. I can't sit still and wait for the others to get here." Then the line went dead.

Deeks finally pulled his Malibu to a sudden stop just outside Julia Feldman's home. He threw his cell phone down into the passenger's seat with an exasperated sigh. _She's still not answering her phone._

Deeks leaped from his car, and bolted up the stone walkway towards the front door. His pulse was racing wildly as he pounded against the solid oak door, and his mind clouded over with images of worst-case scenarios.

Finally Julia answered her door, and was surprised to see Deeks back so soon. "Marty, back already?" The older woman held little Brian against her hip, and little Brian had his pacifier stuck between his lips.

"You need to get outside now." Deeks said quickly. "Where's Alyssa!" Deeks asked frantically. His eyes searched over her shoulders for signs of his beloved children.

"She's downstairs. She was helping me fold some towels, why?" Julia asked, worry beginning to crease her own brow. "What's going on?" she demanded.

"I'll explain later." Deeks told her quickly. "For now just go outside, and wait by my car." He added.

Julia moved out the door as Deeks pushed past her, and headed inside the house. He raced past the kitchen, and right to the flight of stairs that led down into the basement/laundry room area.

Deeks pulled open the door, and raced down the stairs. "Alyssa!" he called out ahead. "Alyssa!"

Finally reached the bottom of the stairs, and he could go one of two ways. The left would take him into a playroom of sorts, and the right would lead to the laundry area. Julia had mentioned 'folding towels', so he chose the right path.

"Alyss-" Deeks shouted as he entered the laundry room area. He stopped short when he found Alyssa staring at a spot just to the left of the washer and dryer. Deeks moved forward so that he could see what it was that she was staring at.

"Dad?" Alyssa whispered, her voice somewhat shaky, as she looked up at Deeks.

Deeks' heart sank as soon as his eyes fell upon the mechanical device planted between the wall and the dryer. At the front of the device was a visible digital timer, and it had begun to count down from 10.

Deeks quickly snatched Alyssa up into his arms, and spun on his heel. Behind him he spotted a set of sliding glass doors on the far side of the room that opened out into the backyard.

He sprinted for it with all that he had inside. "Hang on!" he told his daughter as they neared the sliding glass doors. He wrapped his arms over the top of Alyssa's head in order to protect her from what would come next.

4...3…2…1…0

"Dad!" Alyssa whimpered against her father's body.

Deeks leaped forward slamming his full body weight into the glass of the sliding doors. He and Alyssa sailed through it just as a massive explosion tore outward from the house behind them.

Deeks hit the ground just a few yards outside the house with a good amount of force behind him. As soon as they were grounded, Deeks scrambled forward, and quickly tucked Alyssa's body beneath his own—acting as a shield against falling debris for his daughter.

Back around the front of the house. A black Challenger came to an abrupt stop just behind Deeks' car.

"Damnit." Callen swore as he beheld the sight before them.

"We're too late." Sam said, as he unbuckled his own seatbelt. He and Callen jumped out of the car, and ran up to Julia Feldman's side.

Just ahead of them the house was now covered in flames on all sides.

"You alright?" Sam asked Julia.

"Yes, I-I-we're fine." She finally managed. "Marty was still inside…he went after Alyssa." She stumbled over the words.

Callen looked towards the house immediately, and then began to take off towards the burning building.

"No, G wait." Sam said, as he grabbed his partner's arm. "You can't go in there. It's too dangerous." He reasoned.

"We can't just sit here, Sam." Callen threw back.

"We don't have a choice." Sam replied, as he fished his cell phone out of his pants pocket.

A few seconds later Sam had the Ops Centre on the phone. "Eric, we need the fire department, bomb squad, and a paramedic unit dispatched to Julia Feldman's house, now." Sam said into his cell phone. His breathing was a little bit on the heavy side.

"They're on their way as we speak." Eric replied over the phone line.

"Thanks. Tell Hetty that-" Sam started.

Just then the sound of screeching tires could be heard from behind the group. Callen glanced over his shoulder, and spotted a black van peeling away down the street in what appeared to be an awfully big hurry.

"Sam." Callen said, pulling away from his partner. "Look! Deeks said the guys who took Kensi were driving a van…a van just like that one."

Sam looked up. "I see it too." He replied almost immediately. The two men darted off down the street towards the speeding van, but it was no good—the van was too far away.

"Did you see the license plate?" Callen asked Sam.

"Most of it." Sam replied, with a sigh.

Julia Feldman suddenly shouted above everything else. "Marty!"

Everyone else looked back towards the house, and saw Deeks hobble out from around the side of the burning house. He was carrying Alyssa in his arms.

"Deeks!" Callen shouted as he bolted towards the other NCIS Agent.

Sam raised the cell phone back up to his ear. "Eric, their alive. Deeks is okay!" Sam said quickly into his cell phone.

"Help." Deeks managed to choke out as he moved slowly across the front yard.

Later…

Deeks and Alyssa sat on the back of an ambulance while a couple of paramedics gave them a once over. Deeks could see that his daughter was still visibly shaking somewhat, and if not for the blood pressure cuff wrapped around his left arm he would have gathered her into his arms for comfort.

Callen walked past them holding his cell phone up to his ear. "Eric, I just texted you a license plate number. I want you to hack into every traffic and security camera in the city—do whatever it takes, but find that van." Callen said commandingly.

The younger black EMT finished putting away his tools, and then turned back to Deeks and Alyssa. "Everything looks good as far as I can see." He told them. He looked at Alyssa. "But no more crazy stunts, alright?" he said with a smile and a wink.

Alyssa only nodded, and the EMT tousled her hair playfully.

"You two take care okay." The EMT said as he packed his things away in the back of the truck.

Deeks nodded with a slight grin. "We'll do our best, won't we squirt?"

Alyssa nodded.

Elsewhere, Kensi had been forced, by Jack, to watch a video that was streaming live to where they were hidden.

The drugs she'd been given many hours before had faded somewhat, and she found that she could now hold her eyes open completely. Though, as she watched the horrifying video she quickly wished that she couldn't open her eyes at all.

"See, they're all gone." Jack said quietly. "Now you have nothing to hold you back." He added. "You can be free. _We_ can be _free_."

Kensi glared fiercely at her ex-fiancé. She had just watched her Mother's home get blown to pieces along, seemingly, with her family inside.

"You're a monster. I thought maybe the man I used to love was still inside somewhere…but I was wrong." The last few words came out of her mouth with a slight hiss.

Angered by Kensi's refusal to acknowledge his so-called _gift_, Jack lashed out at the brunette. His hand landed hard against the side of her face, but Kensi remained silent even though the blow drew a little blood from the edge of her lip.

Inside, Kensi was sobbing uncontrollably and mourning the apparent loss of her loved ones. Outwardly, though, she remained cold and distant before her captor(s).

…TBC…


	10. Rose's Theme, Finale Pt 1

**Author's Note: I am sooo sorry you guys for the long wait. I have been super busy these past few months, but now I finally have some time to write some more. Bare with me please as I have decided to split the finale, as it were, into two separate parts. I assure you guys that your patience will be greatly rewarded. Thanks Again, and as always Happy Reading! **

Kensi Blye was an absolute picture of beauty in her ivory-colored wedding gown, as she made her way down the long aisle. Her dark hair hung freely around her shoulders and her face remained unmarred by make-up. This left her natural beauty out on display for those who sat in the audience.

At the head of their little spot on the beach stood the groom dressed in white trousers, and a white button down which remained untucked. He smiled as his beautiful bride-to-be came nearer and nearer to him.

Three weeks ago neither of them imagined that they would actually make it this far-especially not with everything that happened. Yet somehow here they stood, facing each other, ready and willing to take that final plunge together into the next phase of their shared lives.

* * *

><p><em>Three Weeks Earlier…<em>

_Deeks entered the interrogation room against Hetty's wishes. He stood looming over the man called Harland West, and glared down at him. The longer Deeks stared at the man, the more his anger seemed to grow within him._

"_Where is she?" he asked in a low voice._

_West did not even attempt to make eye contact with Deeks. "Somewhere. The precise location escapes me at the moment." West replied very nonchalantly._

_Deeks sucked in a deep breath and then let go of it almost as quickly. His patience at this point was unusually thin, and it was taking every bit of restraint he had in him not to drag the guy into the gymnasium and beat the ever living crap out of him._

"_You took my fiancée. You tried to kill my kids. Forgive me if I sound paranoid…but this whole thing feels like some kind of vendetta." Deeks spoke as calmly and as evenly as he could possibly manage._

_A thin, half grin appeared to form near the edges of Harland West's lips. "You seem as though you're in pain, Agent Deeks." West spoke slowly, and watched from the corner of his eye to gauge Deeks' reaction(s)._

_Deeks pulled his service weapon from its holster, and quickly primed it to fire a single shot. He set the weapon down on the table in front of West. "You obviously want me to suffer…for what I can't begin to imagine." Deeks began. His hand never left the surface of his gun._

"_Take me." Deeks said offering his own life in the place of those he cared most about. "End this now, and I'm all yours." There was an audible sigh of defeat in Deeks' last few words. "Just tell us where she is."_

_Harland West gave a tiny scoff in Deeks' direction. "I don't want you dead, Agent Deeks, I want you to suffer." West whispered in a low voice. "And if you think you're hurting now…just wait." He said, finally returning Deeks' glare._

_Deeks snapped. He kicked the small table aside with very little effort, and snatched his service weapon up at the same time. Next he yanked West from his chair, and pinned him back against the nearby wall._

_Harland West only grinned as he felt the muzzle of Deeks' gun pressed against the underside of his chin. Deeks was breathing quite heavily, and his chest seemed to heave with all of the emotions that had been welling up inside for the past several hours._

"_Hurts doesn't it?" West taunted the emotional NCIS Agent. "The knowledge that someone you love is out there, miles away, and there's nothing you can do to save her." He sneered._

_Deeks' eyes stung immensely as he fought back an ever-growing flood of tears. "I haven't done a damn thing to you." Deeks croaked._

"_Ignorance has blinded you over the years." West replied. "But soon you will remember. You will know my pain. A pain I have lived with for the last five and a half years."  
><em>

* * *

><p>Kensi stopped short of where Deeks stood. Her smile was as radiant as the sun hanging high overhead. She could hardly believe, after all that had transpired almost three weeks ago, that she was finally going to get married.<p>

The preacher nodded, and then with a smile began to speak. "And who here gives this woman to be married to this man?" Off to the side, Kensi's Mother stepped away from where she'd been standing near Nell (her maid-of-honor) and the newest member of the bridal party. This new woman was a raven-haired forensic specialist who had had a major hand in her rescue those three weeks earlier.

Kensi's mother stepped up beside Kensi, and hugged her daughter with one arm. "You look beautiful." Julia Feldman whispered into her daughter's ear. Then she looked up at the preacher, with a smile, and spoke through tear-filled eyes.

"Her father and I do." Julia said, and then wiped a quick tear from her cheek. "Her father couldn't be here, but I know in my heart…he would be so very proud."

At that moment Assistant Director Owen Granger, who sat next to Director Leon Vance at the front of the seating area, stood to his feet. "And that goes double for the rest of us." He said with a smile, and then a wink at Kensi and her Mother.

The preacher nodded, and then waited for Kensi's Mother to return to her former position before proceeding ahead. Then Kensi stepped forward, and accepted Deeks' hand as she made her way up to stand at his side at last. "Very good. Now, let us pray." The preacher said with a smile.

* * *

><p><em>Deeks tossed Harland West to the ground, and aimed his gun right at the man's forehead. His whole body was shaking with anger and sorrow, as he stood over the man responsible for his fiancée's disappearance. Before now he'd never really felt this much anger or hatred all at once.<em>

"_Go on. Do it!" Harland West snarled up at Deeks from his spot on the floor. "Kill me!"_

"_If anything has happened to her, I swear to God-" Deeks started._

"_Her fate is already sealed." West replied tauntingly. "She'll never see the light of day again…just as my son never will."_

_Deeks froze in place at West's last words. They buzzed in his ears, and echoed inside his head. Something stirred within him—something familiar. He pulled back his pistol, and after a brief moment of thought he turned and exited the interrogation room._

"_What was that about?" Tony asked from near Gibbs' side. He was voicing what he, his Boss, and everyone else in the room were already thinking._

_Deeks stood still for a moment just a few feet from the door. He did not move or speak for the longest time it seemed. "I need to see Eric." He said at last._

_...TBC...  
><em>


End file.
